New EU Whistleblower Directive – Installation of whistleblowing systems starting at 50 employees

New EU Whistleblower Directive – Installation of whistleblowing systems starting at 50 employees

The new Whistleblower Directive of the EU (more precisely: Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law) stipulates that companies with a headcount of 50 employees or more are obliged to set up internal reporting channels (whistleblowing systems). National implementation in Austria must take place by autumn 2021. All public and private sector companies are required to establish channels and procedures for internal reporting and monitoring. These systems are intended to give employees the opportunity to anonymously report violations of EU legal standards to internal company institutions and subsequently to make them public without fear of consequences (the directive speaks of a “Prohibition of retaliation“).