Berlin – All EU member states and candidate countries are still failing to adequately protect whistleblowers, more than six years after the EU Whistleblowing Directive was adopted, according to Transparency International research published today. The anti-corruption NGO is warning gaps in legislation and weak implementation are deterring people from reporting wrongdoing and puts them at risk of retaliation if they do.
Its analysis of how countries are implementing the 2019 Directive, which sets a solid foundation for how individuals can report wrongdoing safely and effectively, has found some progress – with all member states and one candidate country now having adopted laws to align their legal framework, while others are still in the process of doing so.
However, serious shortcomings remain. Weak laws, patchy enforcement, and limited support force potential whistleblowers into a harsh choice: stay silent or risk losing their jobs, facing legal action, or harassment for speaking out. In addition, countries are failing to collect and publish data on whistleblowing cases and their outcomes, making meaningful oversight impossible.
This comes as the European Commission closes its public consultation on the impact of the Whistleblowing Directive, ahead of decisions later this year on a possible revision. Transparency International warns that reopening the Directive risks addressing the wrong problem and could even undermine existing protections. The main weaknesses lie not in...
QUEENSLAND— A nurse in Australia has been formally reprimanded after admitting he submitted forged documents to Qantas (QF) in an attempt to secure a refund for a non-refundable airline ticket. Th...