EU Whistleblowing Monitor – January 2022 Roundup
This is the monthly roundup of updates provided by the EU Whistleblowing Monitor team of country editors detailing national developments in the transposition of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing during January 2022.
As of 01 February 2022, it has been 6 weeks since the 17 December 2021 deadline for all Member States to have fully transposed the Directive.
25 countries are now delayed and it appears the Commission has now started infringement proceedings. 24 member states are listed on the Commission website - see here.
Only one Member State is still listed as ‘not started’ - Hungary.
Six Member States have now adopted transposition laws:
Denmark’s ‘Forslag til Lov om beskyttelse af whistleblowere’ was adopted 24 June 2021 and entered into force 17 December 2021.
Sweden’s ‘Lagrådsremiss Genomförande av visselblåsardirektivet’ was adopted 29 September 2021 and entered into force on 17 December 2021.
Portugal’s Proposta de Lei n.º 91/XIV and others was adopted 26 November 2021, published 20 December 2021 and enter into force 6 months later.
Lithuania’s Lietuvos Respublikos Pranešėjų Apsaugos Įstatymas was adopted on 16 December 2021 and will enter into force on 15 February 2021.
Malta’s ATT sabiex jemenda l-Att dwar il-Protezzjoni ta’ Informatur, Kap. 527 passed the third reading on 14 December 2021.
Cyprus’s O περι τησ προστασιασ προσωπων που αναφερουν παραβιασεισ του ενωσιακου και εθνικου δικαιου και αφορουν το δημοσιο συμφερον νομοσ was adopted on 20 January 2021.
No country can be yet considered fully ‘transposed.’
Draft Bills have been issued in eleven countries including:
There are also two important draft proposals developed with or by civil society:
- The ‘Waserman’ Bill* currently being discussed in Parliament in France - available here
- Xnet template Law, registered in Parliament in Spain - available here
January Updates:
- A new whistleblowing law has been adopted in Cyprus.
- There is renewed hope for the new whistleblowing law in France.* (See below)
- In Estonia Parliament makes progress on whistleblowing Bill and infringement procedures announced.
- A draft whistleblowing Bill has been issued in Luxembourg.
- In Slovenia experts have published consultation responses on whistleblowing Bill.
- The whistleblowing protection Bill continues to be discussed in Parliament in the Netherlands.
- A new whistleblowing law is currently being discussed in Parliament in Croatia.
- A new whistleblowing law has been adopted in Latvia.
* Good news: Just yesterday, 01 February 2022, French parliamentarians reached a compromise on the final text of the ‘Wasserman Bill’. The agreed final version retains most of the progressive provisions – see here. The new law will likely be formally adopted on the 8 or 16 February 2022. See full monitor update here.
All these and more can be found on the Monitor Resources and Roundup pages.