UOO Chair Dlugosova Meets EU Commissioner to Discuss Whistleblower Protection

Bratislava, 24 March (TASR) - Chair of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (UOO) Zuzana Dlugosova met on Tuesday with European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, with the commissioner inquiring about how the office viewed developments at the end of last year and whether government steps had affected the reporting of corruption practices, TASR was told by UOO Director of Prevention and Communication Maria Hunkova on Tuesday. "Whistleblowers need to have strong protection guaranteed. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in Slovakia," McGrath said. According to him, the European Commission places emphasis on the consistent fulfilment of obligations by member states, including after the end of drawing European funds. Dlugosova pointed to the need to improve dialogue between state institutions, especially when government representatives prepare changes to whistleblower protection mechanisms. She also highlighted practical implementation problems, in particular the absence of rules for receiving and handling reports, as well as shortcomings in data collection that Slovakia is required to report to the European Commission. She also noted lengthy investigations into reports, which she said are caused by a lack of experienced investigators and the abolition of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA), which had specialised in investigating corruption. In November 2025, the government presented a proposal to abolish the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers and change the whistleblower protection system. The plan drew criticism from experts and the European Commission, who warned of risks stemming from weakening protection and the premature termination of the UOO leadership's mandate. The new legislation was approved in December 2025. Ultimately, Parliament repealed it last week after the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Slovakia and talks on the payment of the sixth tranche of the Recovery and Resilience Plan were suspended. mf