In December of 2021, the final EU Whistleblower Directive deadline passed, bringing it into full effect. This piece of legislation focuses on encouraging and protecting whistleblowers who speak up about corporate misconduct. It acknowledges the value these people bring in helping organisations and states to uncover legal breaches at an earlier stage, thus preventing or minimising potentially harmful business losses and destructive behaviour. The Directive does this by placing the whistleblower at the centre, safeguarding their identity, prohibiting retaliation, and offering several channels for reporting.
In practice, the Directive requires organisations in all EU member states with 250 or more employees to establish a well-defined reporting channel and procedures to allow people to report concerns regarding illegal activities. Smaller organisations of 50 or more people will have until 2023.
While the Directive is a step forward in moving member states towards a unified legal framework, it may nonetheless result in a wide array of whistleblower laws. Responding to these will be a key challenge for compliance in 2022 – and beyond.
Though the deadline for the EU member states to incorporate the EU Whistleblower Protection into their national laws was December 17th, 2021, the vast majority of countries did not meet this date. Some proposals require additional consultation, and other countries have yet to start. Whether due to local political...
Artificial intelligence tools have been a double-edged sword in Operation Epic Fury—both helping to spread disinformation, and helping to clear it up. On Thursday afternoon, the United States Cent...