On 27 July 2022, Germany’s Federal Cabinet approved a bill on whistleblower protection (German Whistleblower Protection Act), that aims to transpose the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive (EU) 2019/1937 into national law. As the previous government had been unable to agree on a bill by the deadline (17 December 2021), the European Commission initiated an EU infringement procedure. The draft law will now enter the legislative process in the German Parliament and is expected to enter into force – according to the current draft – three months after its promulgation.
The German Whistleblower Protection Act sets out far-reaching obligations fo legal entities in both the private and public sectors to provide whistleblowers with comprehensive protection.