Source: vlada.cz
Two government advisory bodies are discussing a draft law to transpose the EU Directive on whistleblowing.
The Council for the Coordination of the Fight against Corruption has recommended the Government of the Czech Republic to approve the proposal in its meeting on Nov. 24, 2020. At the same time, it recommended that the Bill and related amending law be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies (the 1st reading) by the end of January 2021.
On Thursday 26 November 2020 the Legislative Council of the Government suspended the discussion of the Draft Law and the draft text will be amended according to the comments of the members. The government should decide on the protection of whistleblowers by the end of this year. The law still has a chance to be approved in this election period, in time to meet the 17 December 2021 deadline for implementation of the EU directive.
Czech NGO Oลพivenรญ has reflected on the legislative procedure, finding that the attitude of government officials (especially the Ministry of Finance) seems absurd as an external body (whether it will be a department of the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office for the Supervision of Political Parties and Movements) will be afforded no additional budget to meet its new obligations, which will undermine effective implementation of the law.