Legislation and Legal Instruments

Transposition Legislation

• Title: Gesetz für einen besseren Schutz hinweisgebender Personen sowie zur Umsetzung der Richtlinie zum Schutz von Personen, die Verstöße gegen das Unionsrecht melden (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetzesetz)
  • Adopted: 9 May 2023
  • Entered into force: 02 July 2023
  • Official Source: Vermittlungsausschuss – Vermittlungsverfahren – Gesetz für einen besseren Schutz hinweisgebender Personen sowie zur Umsetzung der Richtlinie zum Schutz von Personen, die Verstöße gegen das Unionsrecht melden (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz)

European Union Law Resources

EU Directive

• Title: Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law
  • Adopted: 23 October 2019
  • Official Text: EUR-Lex 

EU Compliance Report

• Title: Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Implementation and Application of Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2023 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law
  • Published: 3 July 2024
  • Official Source: EU Commission

Institutional Reports

NGO Transparency International EU Directive report

• Title: ‘How well do EU countries protect whistleblowers: Assessing the transposition of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive’
  • Published: 7 November 2023
  • Description: The report scrutinises the new whistleblower protection laws adopted in 20 EU member states against the minimum requirements of the Directive and international best practice principles.
  • Link: 2023-How-well-do-EU-countries-protect-whistleblowers-revised-revised.pdf

The International Bar Association and The Government Accountability Project join report

• Title: Are whistleblowing laws working? A global Study on Whistleblowers Protection Legislation
  • Published: 22 March 2021
  • Description: A global Study on Whistleblowers Protection Legislation which looks at the successes and shortcoming of whistleblowing protection in 38 countries (including France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.)
  • Link: Are-whistleblowing-laws-working-report-2021March.pdf

Journals, Studies, and Analysis

Legal Analysis Germany’s draft whistleblowing law

• Title: Still Incomplete: On the current government draft for a whistleblower protection law
  • Published: 8 August 2022
  • Description: Legal Analysis on Germany’s draft whistleblowing law “Still Incomplete: On the current government draft for a whistleblower protection law” by the Verfassungsblog, a global forum for scholarly debate.
  • Link: Still incomplete

Blueprint for Free Speech analysis on draft whistleblowing law

• Title: German Government’s Work-in-Progress Whistleblower Protection Draft Law Fails to Meet International Standards
  • Published: 25 March 2021
  • Description: NGO Blueprint for Free Speech analysis on the German whistleblower protection law, they provide an initial fact sheet that details a closer analysis of the draft law
  • Link: German Government’s Work-in-Progress Whistleblower Protection Draft Law Fails to Meet International Standards — Blueprint for Free Speech

WIN and Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.v joint spotlight blog

• Title: EU Directive: Experts say Germany must change approach to protect Whistleblowers
  • Published: February 2021
  • Description: The Whistleblowing International Network, in collaboration with Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.v., have published this Spotlight: “Experts say Germany must change approach to protect whistleblowers” which is a shortened translation setting out legal arguments that verbatim transposition of the Directive which only protects reports of breaches of EU Law is not justifiable under principles of equality under German constitutional law.
  • Link: EU Directive: Experts say Germany must change approach to protect Whistleblowers – Whistleblowing International Network

Regional Publications

Joint submission of Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.v. and Whistleblowing International Network on the draft law in Germany

• Title: Law for better protection of whistleblowers and for the implementation of the directive on the protection of individuals who report violations of Union law – Draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Justice Joint Submission
  • Published: May 2022
  • Description: A written submission detailing what is needed for a whistleblower protection law and how the previous and current draft laws compare.
  • Link: Stellungnahme-HinSchG-E_WBN_WIN.pdf

NGO Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.v. Complaint to the EU Commission

• Title: Complaint to the EU Commission: Violations of EU Directive
  • Published: Sep 2023
  • Description: Formal submission of whistleblower support NGO to the EU Commission detailing twelve specific complaints against Germany’s transposition of the EU Whistleblower Directive.
  • Link: whistleblower-net.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Beschwerden-Europ.-Kommission.pdf