Poor protection of whistleblowers in most EU states

The vast majority of EU member states have either partial or no laws to protect whistleblowers, says a report by NGO Transparency International released on the 5 November 2013.

According to the study, seven countries (Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Lithuania Portugal, Slovakia and Spain) have no or "very limited" provisions to protect whistleblowers.

A further 16 member states - including France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland - have "partial provisions."

Only Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and the UK have laws that include "comprehensive or near comprehensive" procedures for whistleblowers.

Transparency International reiterated on the 6 March 2014 during a European Policy Centre debate on corruption that the harsh treatment of people who exposed corruption acts as a deterrent for others to step forward.

Transparency International, Report: Whistleblowing in Europe: Legal protections for whistleblowers in the EU http://files.transparency.org/content/download/697/2995/file/2013_WhistleblowingInEurope_EN.pdf

PressEurop, 15.11.13: EU is no safe haven for whistleblowers http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/blog/4324321-eu-no-safe-haven-whistleblowers

EUObserver, 07.03.14: Transparency group pushes for stronger whistleblower laws http://euobserver.com/justice/123387

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