On 14 February 2024, the European Court of Human Rights clarified the criteria for assessing whether disclosure of confidential information obtained in the workplace is protected by freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
It stated that the State that convicts a former employee of an auditing firm for disclosing confidential information obtained in the workplace violates Article 10 of the ECHR on freedom of expression if that information is of particular interest to the public.
The European Whistleblowing Directive has recently been transposed in the Netherlands with the Whistleblowers Protection Act, and in Italy, with Legislative Decree No. 24 of 10 March 2023.
It enables a person, from any organisation or business, to make a protected disclosure direct to an appropriate authority at any time, instead of needing to disclose to their employer first. It also extends and clarifies the grounds where protected disclosures can be made.
Most of European Member States failed to transpose the EU Whistleblowing Directive within the established deadline of December 2021.
European Commission already sent a formal notice to 24 Members for the lack of transposition and to Sweden and Portugal for their delay in the application.
On 1 December 2021, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled over the nature of protected disclosure for the purposes of the Protected Disclosures Act, marking a clear line between an employee’s grievance and a protected disclosure.
A new workplace after the Covid-19 pandemic: what issues do new ways of working raise and how can employers address them?
Ius Laboris employment lawyers from all around the world prepared 40 questions and answers on eight main topics: Vaccination, Health & Safety, Working time, Expenses, Labour relations, Remote investigations, Working abroad and Ethical investments.
Many EU Member States such as Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, have yet to publish a draft legislation to implement the EU Whistleblowing Directive
A minority of Member States have progressed with implementation including the Czech Republic, Finland, Netherlands, Romania and Sweden, with some differences in their approach
Member States must implement the Whistleblowing Directive by 17 December 2021.