German whistleblower bill rejected before it reaches parliament

It looks like German whistleblowers will have to wait a little longer until they will be able to rely on adequate legal protection: This week, negotiations between coalition members constituting the German government regarding a draft whistleblower protection law have failed.

The draft, which we had analyzed here, was issued in response to the transposition of an EU Directive aimed at standardizing whistleblower protection across the continent. According to Union law, Member States have time until December this year to implement legal frameworks reflecting the provisions outlined by the European Union. With the current draft having been rejected 16 months into the transposition period and several elections coming up this year, it remains to be seen whether Germany will introduce suitable legislation until the December deadline.

Although the country has seen numerous high-profile scandals brought to light by whistleblowers, including the recent Dieselgate and Wirecard affairs, Germany is among the EU Member States without any relevant regulatory framework to thoroughly protect them. Blueprint is calling upon the German government to take this opportunity and introduce thorough, comprehensive whistleblower protection measures in line with international standards, as have done local civil society organizations.

For a guide on how to best transpose the EU Whistleblowing Directive into national law, see here.