McGrath: EC Believes That Law on UOO Transformation Violates EU Law

Strasbourg, 11 February (TASR) - The European Commission (EC) considers the adoption of the Slovak law on the transformation of the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) into a new office to be a violation of European law, European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath stated on Wednesday during a debate on the state of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Slovakia at a plenary session of the European Parliament (EP), TASR learnt on the same day. "The Commission has launched infringement proceedings against Slovakia following the adoption of a law amending the Whistleblowers Protection Office Act. We believe that these amendments violate EU law, in particular by affecting the independence of the Slovak Whistleblowers Protection Office, the conditions for the protection of whistleblowers, the requirements for confidentiality, and the right to effective remedy. Slovakia has until March 2 to respond to the official notification of the initiation of proceedings," said McGrath. The European Commission announced at the end of January that it had initiated infringement proceedings against Slovakia, with the reason being the adoption of a law changing the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) into a new institution. According to the Commission, this step runs contrary to the Whistleblower Protection Directive and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The law didn't come into effect in Slovakia, as the Constitutional Court suspended it before it could come into force. In addition to the whistleblower agenda, the new authority was supposed to deal with the agenda of compensating victims of crime, which it was to take over from the Justice Ministry. The law also addresses the review of protection in criminal and administrative proceedings. If the EC doesn't receive a satisfactory response from Slovakia or if no remedy is provided, it may proceed to the next stage of the proceedings and send a reasoned opinion to the state. If the dispute is still not resolved, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the EU. Failure to comply with the measures resulting from the EU court's decision could lead to sanctions. At Wednesday's EP session, McGrath also expressed concerns about the fight against corruption in Slovakia. "The scrapping of specialised anti-corruption bodies in Slovakia, including the National Crime Agency (NAKA) and the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP), has resulted in delays in investigations that have been referred to other bodies and a significant decline in the number of corruption cases [under investigation], including those falling within the remit of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), where the EU budget is at risk," he said. am/df