Government retreat marks important victory for whistleblower protection in Slovakia
6 March 2026
Joint Statement by the Whistleblowing International Network and the European Whistleblowing Institute
On 4 March 2026, the Slovakian Government pledged to repeal the law it had fast-tracked to abolish the Whistleblower Protection Office in mid-December. The law was almost immediately suspended by the Constitutional Court after having come under heavy scrutiny and strong warnings from civil society, opposition parties, institutions, and intergovernmental bodies.
The Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) and the European Whistleblowing Institute (EWI) drove a European effort to mobilize civil society, journalists, public opinion, and institutions and support our Slovakian partners to stop the attack on the infrastructure that protects whistleblowers. We argued that the law adopted by the Government breached the EU Whistleblower Directive and called on the European Commission to use its full powers to intervene.
“It is a sign of the effectiveness and independence of the whistleblower protection infrastructure in Slovakia that the government tried to abolish it and was met with such strong civil society and institutional resistance from within the country. Whistleblower protection is as much about institutional integrity and democratic accountability as it is about, rightly, protecting those who speak up in the interests of others.”
On 30 January, the Commission initiated infringement proceedings against Slovakia for breaching EU rules on the protection of whistleblowers, sending them a detailed formal notice. In mid-February, it was announced that the Commission had delayed Slovakia's sixth recovery payment request worth €590 million as a result of the move to abolish the Whistleblower Protection Office, whose establishment was financed from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Now the Government has withdrawn the law.
WIN and EWI welcome the repeal of a law that was clearly a blatant attempt to dismantle the Whistleblower Protection Office and remove its leadership and we await the details of how fully the Government will act to repeal all elements of the law they pushed through.
“This moment shows that whistleblower protection is not a technical policy choice but a cornerstone of the rule of law in Europe. When institutions designed to protect those who speak up are threatened, civil society, EU institutions, and legal frameworks must work together to defend them. The developments in Slovakia demonstrate the power of European legal standards and collective vigilance in safeguarding democratic accountability.”
This is the second time in under two years that the Slovak government has attempted to undermine the country’s whistleblower protection system. In early 2024, the government presented a bill to Parliament without any consultation that also targeted the protection of police officers. Then as now, Slovak civil society, with support from WIN and EWI, were able to defend a system that protects Slovak citizens who speak up about wrongdoing and corruption.
“This important success was made possible thanks to international cooperation among whistleblowing experts and strong civil society engagement, which also found a clear response in the action taken by the European Commission. At the same time, we must remain vigilant in Slovakia, as the attempts to weaken whistleblower protection have been serious and repeated.”
