This is the monthly roundup of updates provided by the EU Whistleblowing Monitor team of country editors detailing national developments in the transposition of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing during December 2020.
Transposition is underway in at least 18 countries, with Croatia moving to ‘in progress’ this month. 9 Member States remain listed as ‘not started.’
Country Updates:
In Croatia, the Government have now adopted a plan for legislative activities and harmonization for 2021 which includes proposed amendments to whistleblowing legislation to be adopted later this year.
In Germany, a national newspaper has reported that a first whistleblowing law has been drafted by the Ministry of Justice which proposes to expand on the scope of the Directive to protect persons who report breaches of national law. A position paper on transposition has been published by the SPD party. Protect Whistleblowers Better makes several policy recommendations which are in line with best practice principles for whistleblowing legislation, including protecting disclosure of wrongdoing not considered a breach of a legal obligation.
In Poland, the Prime Minister has transferred responsibility for transposition of the Directive to the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology. Public consultation on a dedicated whistleblowing draft bill is now expected.