The EU Commission is taking Germany to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for insufficient protection of whistleblowers. The Federal Republic is accused of not fully implementing rules to protect people who report violations of EU law. Seven other EU countries are also being sued. EU law actually obliges member states to provide whistleblowers with appropriate channels through which they can confidentially report breaches of EU rules. “This is intended to establish reliable protection against reprisals,” says the commission. So-called whistleblowing is about uncovering and passing on grievances or criminal activities by insiders. In view of several scandals such as the Facebook data leak or the Panama Papers, which only became public through whistleblowers, the EU agreed on new rules in 2019. The requirements cover, among other things, violations in the areas of money laundering, corporate taxation, data protection, food and product safety, environmental protection and nuclear safety. The Federal Council had stopped the so-called whistleblower law on Friday.
Whistleblower law – EU sues Germany – Economy
