site.btaParliament Adopts on First Reading Bill on Conditions for Protection of Whistleblowers

Parliament adopted Friday on first reading a bill, introduced by GERB-UDF floor leader Desislava Atanasova and a group of MPs, on the protection of whistleblowers or public disclosures.

The bill regulates the conditions, procedures, and measures for the protection of people in the public and private sectors who report or make public information on infringements of Bulgarian legislation or European Union acts which threaten or harm public interest and EU law. The bill also regulates the procedure and conditions for the submission and examination of such reports or information made public. It shall also apply to people related to whistleblowers. The bill provides for the implementation of the EU requirements on the protection of whistleblowers.  

All public sector employers, except municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants or employers with fewer than 50 employees, are subject to this bill. Private sector employers with 50 or more employees are also subjects to it, together with those with fewer than 50 employees in certain cases specified by the law. 

The categories covered by the bill include public procurement, financial services, products and markets, anti-money laundering, environmental protection, public health, consumer protection, transport safety, privacy and data protection, network security and information laws.