• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Global Whistleblowers

Brussels Blows its Whistle: EU Scolds Countries for Failing to Protect Witnesses

February 14, 2022
in Global Whistleblowers
Reading Time: 3 mins read
EU Whistleblower
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

European Union officials have reprimanded 26 of the EU’s 27 countries for failing to meet Brussels’ deadline to enact new protections for whistleblowers. The action further demonstrates the countries’ already weak commitment to shield corruption witnesses from retaliation.

Known as an “infringement” action, the European Commission announced on Feb. 9 it had sent formal notices to Portugal and Sweden for delaying the activation of their new whistleblower laws. The two countries met the EU’s deadline to pass the laws by Dec. 17. But the Commission cited them because their laws don’t take effect until this June 19 and July 17, respectively. If Portugal and Sweden do not fix the problem within two months, the Commission could escalate the situation by sending a formal request to comply.

In January the Commission sent formal notices to 24 other EU countries for missing the December deadline, which was set by an EU Directive passed more than two years earlier, in October 2019. Denmark and Lithuania passed new whistleblower laws before the deadline but they did not take effect in time. Cyprus, France and Latvia have since passed new laws.

Register for National Whistleblower Day

Only Malta, which ironically has one of Europe’s poorest-performing whistleblower protection systems, is in full compliance with the Directive. Its law was passed on Nov. 16 and took effect on Dec. 17.

“The general lack of implementation by almost every EU member country will have repercussions for many years,” cautioned Theo Nyreröd, an anti-corruption and whistleblower expert affiliated with Brunel Law School in London. “This is troubling because experience shows that each country’s processes are quite unique, and ongoing learning is necessary for these laws to fulfill their potential.”

The EU initiates hundreds of infringement actions against member countries every year for failing to comply with new rules. A formal notice is the first step in a five-step process that can result in a country being fined and legally forced to comply. On Feb. 9, for example, the Commission took Sweden to the EU Court of Justice for failing to comply with EU gun control rules.

The Commission’s infringement action is the latest sign that the EU’s vaunted whistleblower protection Directive is not panning out as hoped. None of the seven new whistleblower laws passed so far include any specific mechanisms to protect employees from retaliation, or to compensate them for lost wages and other damages, WNN reported earlier this month. The laws do not say how an employee can apply for and obtain whistleblower status. Nor do the laws provide guidance for courts, where many if not most retaliation cases will be heard and decided.

In the first known court case adjudicated under one of these new laws, the Danish Supreme Court last month ruled against a city employee who exposed the improper withholding of retirement and disability benefits. Judges said the manner in which the employee reported the problem was not “necessary,” a highly subjective criterion in Denmark’s new law that WNN reported last September could pose problems for witnesses.

“It is especially worrying that some laws contain unspecified retaliation remedies,” added Nyreröd. “As most forms of retaliation are of a personal nature that are difficult for courts to remedy – such as ostracism, bullying and loss of relationships – it is unlikely that unspecified remedies would be a cause of celebration among employees considering blowing the whistle.”

Read more global whistleblower news on WNN

Tags: International
Previous Post

This Week: Three False Claims Act Settlements from Qui Tam Whistleblowers

Next Post

USAID Highlights Wildlife Whistleblowing in Fight Against Corruption

Next Post
USAID Highlights Wildlife Whistleblowing in Fight Against Corruption

USAID Highlights Wildlife Whistleblowing in Fight Against Corruption

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Advocates Detail Need for SEC Whistleblower Reform

Raytheon Whistleblower Receives $1.5 Million for Alleging Cybersecurity Non-Compliance

Ruling Striking Down Trump Order Targeting Law Firm Seen as Crucial for Whistleblowers

MJH Healthcare Settles Whistleblower Allegations of Postal Rate Fraud for $2 Million

Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Stronger Whistleblower Laws in Australia, Mirroring Polling in US

Four Whistleblowers Receive $1.3 Million for Alleging Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
RSVP to National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
RSVP NOW

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version