In 2019, the European Union implemented protections for those who speak up about wrongdoing, through the adoption of a landmark whistleblower protections directive: Directive 2019/1937. The EU Directive was hailed as a globally significant development for integrity and accountability.
Now, almost four years after the EU Directive was finalised, and two years since it was due to be transposed, the EU directive in member states remains incomplete. This new report “Beyond Paper Rights: Implementing Whistleblower Protections in Central and Eastern Europe,” raises concerns in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania.
Expert Forum contributed to the report which was released on 2 November during a roundtable at the CEELI Institute in Prague with whistleblower protection official bodies, international experts, investigative journalists, and civil society organizations active in the field of whistleblower protection.
This report is part of a larger CEELI Institute project to combat fraud and corruption in the healthcare sector in Central and Eastern Europe. The project was made possible through a grant from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.