Tracking Implementation of EU Directive 2019/1937
Status of Implementation – April 2026
Approximately four years after the deadline, all 27 Member States have now passed whistleblower protection legislation to transpose Directive 2019/1937 into their national legal systems. However, none can yet be considered fully compliant. The European Commission issued infringement proceedings early against most Member States, with multiple cases referred to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) and significant fines imposed for delays. The Commission’s conformity report was published in July 2024, showing widespread compliance issues. No enforcement action on substantive compliance failures has yet followed. The evaluation of the Directive is now underway.
Key Developments
- Two new reports highlight serious flaws in every EU Member State:
- Report: How Effective is Whistleblower Protection in the EU: Trends, gaps and emerging practice across member states (Transparency International)
- Report: Raising the Floor: National Laws and the EU Whistleblower Directive (Government Accountability Project & WIN)
- The Government in Slovakia U-turns on moves to abolish the Whistleblowing Authority following EU enforcement and Court suspension
- The European Broadcasting Union has called for better protection public disclosures
- Ruling limiting external report protection in Germany causes concern
- New whistleblowing guidelines in Italy cause for civil society concern
- Irish Whistleblowing Authority publishes annual report
- New Report shows areas of systemic failure across Czechia, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Greece and Luxembourg
Additional Featured Resources
- New Blog: A Critical Moment for Whistleblower Protection – The Evaluation Kicks Off
- NEIWA Whistleblowing Training Guide: Comparative Overview and Recommendations
New Report from Transparency International: Whistleblower Protection in EU Enlargement Countries: Towards EU Standards and best practice?