Source: PressReader.com – Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
EU evaluation of EU Directive on Whistleblowing receives tens of submissions from Irish Whistleblowers alleging reprisals.
Update Summary:
An online portal inviting feedback on implementation of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing across EU Members States of the Directive has been inundated with submissions from Irish whistleblowers.
The ‘Have Your Say’ initiative was set up by the EU Commission, as part of its consultation on the evaluation of EU Directive 2019/1937.
According to an article in The Irish Independent, out of 74 submissions from across the region more than half came from Ireland, from individuals who reported facing punishment, penalisation or being otherwise diminished for exposing wrongdoing in their workplaces. All feedback has been published on the EU Commissions website.
Key highlights:
- Of 74 submissions received across the EU, 40 came from Irish whistleblowers.
- Submissions allege retaliation, professional marginalisation, or harassment following disclosures of wrongdoing within public bodies, universities, and the Defence Forces.
- Notably, one submission came from John Barrett, the head of Human Resources at An Garda Síochána, the Irish police service, describing the damage to himself and his family as “irreparable.”
Background & Context
Ireland has had a whistleblower protection law since 2014. The ‘Protected Disclosures Act’ was one of the first comprehensive national legislation in Europe, the structure of which inspired the drafting of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing, adopted late 2019. The Act was amended in 2022, to bring Ireland’s framework in line with the EU requirements which went further than the 2014 Act – including requiring reporting channels in the private sector, sanctions for whistleblower reprisals, and reversed burden of proof in whistleblower claims. Analysis from the EU Commission and Transparency International has shown that more reform to strengthen the Protected Disclosures framework are however needed in Ireland – and most, if not all, Member States – to fully comply with the both the letter and spirit of the Directive.
The feedback received from individuals through the ‘Have Your Say’ portal is the first step in a comprehensive evaluation and consultation process which will now be taken into the Directive’s implementation.
Relevant Links to Further Reading:
- EU Whistleblowing Monitor News: EU Evaluation of Whistleblowing Directive Now Underway: EU Evaluation of Whistleblowing Directive Now Underway – EU WhistleBlowing Monitor
- Transparency International 2024 Report “How well do EU countries protect whistleblowers: 2023-How-well-do-EU-countries-protect-whistleblowers-revised-revised.pdf
- EU Whistleblowing Monitor Blog: Conformity Check: Official Report on EU directive compliance: Conformity Check: Official Report on EU Whistleblower Directive Compliance – EU Whistleblowing Monitor
- Transparency International Ireland Speak Up Reports and other whistleblowing publications