[author: Jan Stappers]

Since the launch of the EU Whistleblowing Protection Directive on December 21, 2021, EU countries and organizations have been scrambling to transpose the rules into their current national laws. The Directive’s purpose is to provide greater protection across EU countries for those wanting to report breaches of EU law. Those who choose to report must now have clear reporting channel options and be protected against retaliation, among other requirements outlined in the Directive. EU companies and public bodies with 250 or more employees must execute the defined reporting system. Starting in 2023, this will change to include organizations that employ 50 or more workers.

The critical requirements of the Directive include the following:

• Safe and accessible reporting channels
• Ensuring workers know when and where to report wrongdoing
• Protecting the confidentiality of whistleblowers and those involved
• Promptly acknowledging receipt of reports within seven days
• Providing an update on the investigation within three months of the initial report
• Protecting whistleblowers from dismissal, demotion or other forms of workplace retaliation
• Keeping a record of reports for no longer than necessary to comply with GDPR data-keeping rules

For Germany, the German Whistleblowing Bill ( Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz) is expected to be passed by year’s end.

So, what does the new German bill entail? The bill covers the core elements mentioned in the EU Whistleblower Protection...

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