President Unsure Whether to Sign Bill Abolishing Whistleblower Office (2)

Bratislava/Lisbon, 27 November (TASR) – The governing coalition can't be certain that President Peter Pellegrini will sign the bill abolishing the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (UOO) and creating an Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Conduct, TASR learnt on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference during his working visit to Portugal, Pellegrini stated that he'll approach the legislation responsibly once it is approved and then decide, while also closely follow the legislative process. "Even today I've failed to understand the urgency of all this. The office is so tiny that if we were talking about fiscal consolidation, it's absolutely just a drop in the ocean in the context of the budget. I think that Slovakia has far more serious problems at the moment than dealing with the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers," said Pellegrini. He added that he fails to understand, if the government saw a need to change UOO, why the cabinet didn't propose this during its previous two years in office, and why it was necessary to convene a special emergency government session on Saturday (22 November) and push the changes through via fast-tracked proceedings. The president stated that the government must consider Slovakia's interests concerning EU funds as well. On Saturday (22 November), the government approved a draft bill establishing a new central Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Conduct. It is set to replace the existing UOO and take over the agenda of compensating victims of crime from the Justice Ministry. The Interior Ministry argues that it is necessary to respond to problems with applying current law, in particular regarding insufficient rights for employers of protected whistleblowers. The change is also intended to increase the efficiency of institutional protection for victims of crime and whistleblowers of anti-social conduct, which is currently divided among several state bodies. Parliament is discussing the proposal via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. Coalition politicians have defended the changes by saying the office is politicised. The opposition has criticised both the proposal and the fast-tracked process, calling it interference in the functioning of UOO. Non-profit organisations have also expressed concerns, warning of inconsistencies with European Union law and possible sanctions or the risk of losing EU funding. Several employers' associations, other organisations and Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka have raised objections to the legislation as well. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the last two paragraphs mf/df