The arrival of whistleblower rights in Europe was a long time coming. As recently as 2013 – when countries such as Jamaica, South Africa, the US and Vietnam already had laws in place – the European Commission closed the door to passing EU-wide whistleblower rules.
Following major cases such as Panama Papers and LuxLeaks, EU officials changed their tune and enacted a strong whistleblower regulation in 2019. Today, EU countries are still in the midst of developing laws and procedures to comply with the new rules.
Helping to lead this effort is the Network of European Integrity and Whistleblowing Authorities. The group’s Barcelona Declaration, issued at its June meeting in Spain, calls on EU countries to “strengthen their anti-corruption and integrity agenda” by developing a “robust whistleblower protection system.”
The Declaration supports this call by noting one of the most pressing issues of our time: “Europe is currently at a crossroad in the defence of the principles that inspire the rule of law as opposed to authoritarian models.”
The first of its kind in the world, the Network was founded in 2019 by Wilbert Tomesen, chair of the Dutch Whistleblowers Authority (Huis voor Klokkenluiders).
“There’s an urgent need for every country to enact strong rights that comply with the EU’s new rules,” Tomesen told WNN. “Actually, I would plead for countries to go beyond these minimum standards and create a comprehensive and coherent whistleblower protection framework. This should...
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