Whistleblower Protection
Federal Council stops so-called whistleblower law
The prime ministers of the federal states meet in the Bundesrat for a meeting. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Anyone who passes on information about abuses to companies or authorities should be better protected – also from criminal prosecution. But the new law initially fails because of the Federal Council.
The Federal Council has stopped the so-called whistleblower law. The law passed by the Bundestag in December did not receive the required majority in the state chamber on Friday.
Bavaria’s Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich (CSU) stated that the current version of the law on the protection of whistleblowers goes far beyond the EU requirements. It would unduly burden small and medium-sized businesses. “We just need more sense of proportion.” Hesse’s Minister of Justice Roman Poseck (CDU) warned that the planned anonymous reporting channel also contained the risk of abuse. “Not every whistleblower is up to no good.”
The law is now expected to go to the mediation committee of the Bundesrat and Bundestag.
The law is intended to provide better protection against reprisals for people who report abuses in authorities or companies. It regulates reports of fraud, corruption and other abuses. The information can relate to violations of environmental protection regulations or food safety regulations, for example. A lack of protection of personal data or violations of animal welfare regulations on farms could also be uncovered more easily.