Source: https://www.liberties.eu/f/vdxw3e
A new Report of the Civil Liberties Union – a coalition of human rights and civil liberties NGOs across the EU – has highlighted weaknesses in Estonia’s whistleblower protection framework.
The 2025 Liberties Rule of Law Report 225 notes that while Estonia has made targeted efforts, challenges remain n implementation of effective anti-corruption and whistleblower protection. A key concern across Europe included weak whistleblower protection, leading to a high risk of corruption.
Estonia adopted new legislation – the Act on the protection of whistleblowers of work-related violations of European Union Law in May 2024. The Rerport found that:
“Estonia has made notable progress in strengthening its judicial transparency, particularly through clearer criteria for Supreme Court appointments and ongoing efforts to address court backlogs. The anti-corruption framework is also improving, with enhanced transparency in public procurement and more rigorous investigations into high-profile cases. However, challenges remain, particularly in whistleblower protection, where the law is underutilised.”
The report recommends that all States should prioritise compliance with the EU Directive on Whistleblowing and the European Union should closely monitor the transposition and implementation of the Directive, in close cooperation with non-state actors, including civil society, and act decisively in case of non-compliance.
The EU has taken swift action on infringement against Member States regards its transposition of the Directive. Proceedings were initiated against most Member States in 2022, just one month after the official deadline for transposition. Eight Member States, including Estonia, were referred to the European Court of Justice in early 2023, with the court imposing significant fines for Estonia and four other countries in March 2025.
The Commission published its Conformity Report in July 2024, and has begun public consultation on its Action Plan on Whistleblower Protection – as part of its evaluation of the Directive which will ramp up in 2026.
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