Highlighted by the Edward Snowden case, the whistleblowers issue is turning out to be quite central in businesses. So what protection do whistleblowers have when the alert targets a private-law company or public entity? The law on the subject is changing, not only at State level but also at the level of the EU and that of the European Council. This article specifically analyzes the laws on whistleblowers in these two institutions.
Whistleblowers are citizens who impartially decide to let official structures, associations or the media know about reprehensible facts they considered as detrimental to man, society, the economy or the environment. The goal is that the concerned entity puts an end to these practices. In a survey by Transparency International on national laws protecting whistleblowers, 4 countries are highlighted as advanced: Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia and the UK. 16 other countries partially protect their whistleblowers and 7 don’t have any laws or very restricted ones. Nevertheless, TI points out that a lot of countries have tried, successfully or not, to improve legislation on the subject.
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