UOO: Key Risks Still Unaddressed in Amending Proposal on Whistleblowers Office

Bratislava, 9 December (TASR) - The Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) has warned that even the second amending proposal to the bill aimed at transforming the UOO into a new institution falls short of addressing the key risks highlighted by the European Commission, Alexandra Znasikova from the office's prevention and communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that the new proposal also lays the groundwork for continuous reviews of whistleblower protection that has already been granted. "We also consider it to be problematic that a prosecutor or administrative authority would be required to keep constant tabs on whether the conditions for protection that has already been granted still apply, and that an employer would be able to repeatedly initiate a review of protection already granted to a whistleblower," said Znasikova, adding that this model once again introduces legal uncertainty for whistleblowers as regards the conditions and duration of their protection. According to Znasikova, it's unacceptable to treat whistleblowers, who protect the public interest, like people accused of crimes whose grounds for detention are examined constantly. The qualified nature of a whistleblower's report doesn't change over time, so periodic reviews run counter to the objective of the EU directive. She explained that the amendment also requires prosecutors or administrative bodies to assess whether a report was submitted in good faith before granting protection. "This isn't a fundamental change, as employers can already request verification of good faith, which is also used in practice," she explained. Znasikova also said that the funding, staffing and professional readiness of the new institution aren't clearly defined in the proposal. The government bill to transform UOO into a new Crime Victim and Whistleblower Protection Office is being debated in Parliament via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. jrg/df