New law for whistleblowers: Protection against retaliation and mandatory reporting channels

Integrity whistleblowers will benefit from extended protection and additional safeguards, including legal assistance and clear measures against any form of retaliation, according to a draft law adopted in the first reading by Parliament.

The document provides for strengthening the protection mechanism for integrity whistleblowers and aligning national legislation with European Union standards, with the aim of increasing transparency, integrity and accountability in both the public and private sectors.

Among the main provisions are guaranteed informational counselling, legal assistance and protection against any direct or indirect acts of retaliation. The scope of protected persons is also expanded to include not only integrity whistleblowers, but also those who assist them, their family members, colleagues and associated legal entities.

The draft also introduces an extended obligation to establish internal reporting channels for public and private entities with at least 50 employees, as well as for certain high-risk sectors such as financial services, anti-money laundering, transport and environmental protection.

At the same time, whistleblowers will be able to report potential violations affecting the financial interests of the European Union, and their confidentiality will be guaranteed by law.

In parallel, the Contravention Code will be supplemented with sanctions for obstructing reporting, failing to establish internal channels, disclosing whistleblower identities, as well as for acts of retaliation or knowingly reporting false information. The fines provided go up to 10,000 lei for legal entities, depending on the type of violation.

After adoption in the second reading, the new provisions will enter into force three months after publication in the Official Journal.

According to the data presented, last year the National Anticorruption Center received five external disclosures, and the People’s Advocate registered seven requests for protection from integrity whistleblowers.