Author: Boyana Boyadzhieva
The newly adopted Whistleblowing legislation, which will enter into force on 04.05.2023, implements the requirements Directive – (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, adopted on 23 October 2019.
It regulates the conditions, modalities, and measures for the protection of persons in the public and private sectors who report or make public information on infringements of Bulgarian law or European Union Acts which have become known to them in the course of or in connection with the performance of their work or official duties or in another work context.
The new Whistleblowing legislation also provides for obligations to establish channels for internal and external whistleblowing, designating the CPDP as the central authority for external whistleblowing.
The designation of a single central body will lead to a number of positive changes, such as addressing the existing fragmentation of the current legal framework, which provides for the existence of different bodies with powers to investigate whistleblowing in different areas of the public sector; more effective verification of whistleblowing; and improved enforcement of national and EU legislation in all identified areas where infringements can seriously harm the public interest.