BRUSSELS – It’s already four months past the deadline but Greece should move to implement a European Union Whistleblower Directive, the European Commission said, but there’s no penalties for not doing so.
With media freedom groups complaining that the New Democracy government is trying to stifle – and surveil – journalists, the EU said whistleblowers, often sources for reporters, should be protected, said EURACTIV.
The site pointed to the long-stalled case of alleged corruption surrounding the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis in which the former ruling Radical Left SYRIZA – without any proof – said 10 rival politicians took bribes.
The case involved four alleged whistlebowers who said only that they overheard talk of bribery but nine of the accused were cleared of any wrongdoing despite the Leftists saying the case was the biggest scandal in modern Greek history, but no one has been prosecuted.
The EU’s whistleblower directive provides protection to whistleblowers in the 27 member states but most have ignored it and aren’t being required to push it beyond urging by officials to make moves.
It was adopted in October 2019, and member states had until December 2021 to transpose it into national law, something Greece has failed to do along with some two-thirds of the other members.
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