- IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 18.04.2022–17.04.2023
- PROJECT COST: 7901.40 EUR
- DONOR: People of Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway through the EEA grants.
- CONTACT: Inese Tauriņa
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Delna has been working with whistleblowers for more than 16 years. Already in the first Whistleblowing Law, which entered into force in 2019, associations and foundations were defined as having an essential role in the protection of whistleblowers. On February 4, 2022, the new Whistleblowing Law entered into force, which, among other things, expands the competence of associations, including Delna, and allows associations to represent whistleblowers in institutions and in court without a special mandate. As such, Delna is uniquely positioned to provide support and assistance to whistleblowers.
Recently, while advising whistleblowers, Delna has received information about the fact that specific institutions are unable to correctly apply the Whistleblowing Law provisions, thus causing damage to public interests, as full protection of whistleblowers is not provided, and there is a risk that the observed violations will remain undetected and the responsible parties or persons – not punished. In our daily work, Delna has repeatedly observed that state institutions lack understanding and knowledge of the Whistleblowing Law and its application, however, in this particular case, there is a real threat to the whistleblowing system as a whole, as well as public interests regarding the legal activity of local governments, which can only be prevented by Delna’s immediate involvement in solving the case.
The achievable result of the project is to promote the correct implementation and interpretation of the norms of the new Whistleblowing Law adopted in 2022 in state institutions, the application of protection guarantees provided by law to whistleblowers, and the prosecution of responsible persons for the violations committed. The goal of the project is to effectively use the competence of the associations established in the new Whistleblower Law of 2022 and contribute to promoting the correct application of the norms of the new Whistleblower Law, as well as strengthening the credibility of laws, state institutions and local governments and reducing corruption.
