EU sues Czechia over failure to comply with whistleblower law

The European Commission has sued the Czech Republic, along with seven other countries, for failing to implement the EU's whistleblower directive, and has issued a fine of more than CZK 50 million. A spokesperson for the European Court of Justice announced this on Thursday, adding that the fine will be charged until Czechia complies with the directive and incorporates it into its legal framework.

The EU directive is designed to give whistleblowers in public and private sectors mechanisms to disclose wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. The push for whistleblower protections in the EU came in the wake of the Panama Paper tax evasion scandal in 2016, as well as Facebook user data leaks.

Aside from the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary and Poland have also received fines.