Freedom of information
Agents want more protection for whistleblowers
Edward Snowden is arguably the most famous whistleblower of the recent past. Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa / archive image
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Whistleblowers in the United States run the risk of ending up in jail. But even in Germany, the freedom of information officers are demanding more protection for them.
The freedom of information officers in Germany are calling for better protection for whistleblowers.
At their conference in Magdeburg on Wednesday, the commissioners warned the federal legislature to implement the EU directive on the protection of persons who report violations of Union law as quickly as possible. They also considered it necessary to extend the protection to whistleblowers in Germany who reported violations of national law, it said in a message.
The deadline for timely implementation is December 17, 2021. Germany has not yet implemented the directive because the federal government has not yet been able to agree on the scope of a whistleblower protection law.
“The comprehensive protection of whistleblowers against reprisals is in the public interest,” said the chairman of the conference, Albert Cohaus. Since the beginning of the year, he has assumed the duties and powers of the State Commissioner for Freedom of Information for the State of Saxony-Anhalt. “The uncovering of grievances often only enables state and social reactions and forces those affected to act in accordance with the law.”