Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, vetoed a law on Thursday that would abolish the country’s Whistleblower Protection Office, citing rushed parliamentary procedure and objections from the European Commission.
The law, adopted only a day earlier, sought to replace the existing Whistleblower Protection Office (WPO) with a new body under new leadership.
The office, created on the basis of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, safeguards individuals who report corruption or unlawful conduct in Slovakia.
Fico’s populist government moved to dismantle the authority after it fined the Interior Ministry three times – totalling 114,000 – for failing to protect whistleblowers.
The plan has triggered strong criticism from the European Commission, legal experts and anti-corruption NGOs, which warn that Slovakia risks infringement proceedings or the loss of recovery funds linked to maintaining an independent whistleblower authority.
In his statement, Pellegrini highlighted the lack of justification for fast-track approval, insufficient guarantees for victim protection and unresolved EU concerns.
He also stressed that “the current WPO has a special significance in fulfilling the conditions of the Recovery Plan, from which Slovakia draws billions of euros for projects.”
He has therefore returned the law to parliament for reconsideration.
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