Whistleblowing as a tool towards EU’s climate neutrality

ongoing

Bad governance, corruption and fraud are some of the major problems of our societies which are also strongly associated with not only breaches of civil liberties and fundamental rights but also a clear danger to the public interest. At the same time, accountability is the basis on which democracy is being established. However, accountability comes along with the relevant tools and procedures. One of the most effective tools ensuring accountability is whistleblowing. It is in this context that several governments worldwide have their own relevant laws and procedures. Alongside, the EU, since 2019, has its own directive on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union Law. Until today, all EU Member States have transposed Directive’s provisions into their national legal and institutional system. Indeed, for most of them, the procedure was long and the relevant laws were adopted with delay while, according to the EU Whistleblowing Monitor, for several ones, whistleblowing laws fall below EU standard. However, based on the findings of an EP Report, most Member States have mirrored the areas of Article 2 into the transposition laws, including thus the breaches that concern the protection of the environment, which is the main focus of our project. Besides, addressing climate change, protecting the natural environment and preventing environmental harms are among the top priorities of the EU and part of several EU policy documents and initiatives. In order to ensure that the EU and each Member State separately will meet the environmental targets in the next decades, good governance and and transparency as well as accountability are key elements, but not sufficient. The project aims to build the capacity of CSOs and local authorities towards a more effective implementation of the EU Directive and the transposition laws. Alongside, the project targets the general public in order to raise its awareness with respect to whistleblowers' rights and reporting channels.