Source: euromil.org
In the context of the transposition of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing into Greek national law, the European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions (EUROMIL) has published an article highlighting the shortfalls of the Directive with regard to the protection of whistleblowers in the armed forces, and the need for implementation of the Directive to consider the needs of military personal and the role of military unions and ombuds in the national whistleblowing framework.
In the article entitled transposition of the Whistleblower Protection Directive Experiences from Greece, it is stated:
“In the military, whisteblower cases in recent years concerned issues of sexual harassment, extreme right behaviour, mistreatment of recruits or misuse of chemical agents. Blowing the whistle in the armed forces is particularly difficult due to restrictions imposed on freedom of expression/speech, professional secrecy and national security concerns…”
“…Problems are also linked to internal reporting and the respect of the chain of command. But soldiers should be considered as “workers” and deserve the same level of protection as any other professional categories. The principle of “Citizens in Uniform” should apply, granting the same rights and obligations to soldiers as to any other citizen. Currently, the protection offered to whistleblowers varies across countries and is fragmented.”
The full article has been republished on the EU Whistleblowing Monitors transposition blog here.