All EU Member States are required to transpose the EU Whistleblowers Directive into national law by 17 December 2021. The EU Whistleblowers Directive sets down minimum standards for the protection of whistleblowers. Ireland has been listed by the European Commission as being one of ten Member States that have comprehensive whistleblower protection legislation. However, in order to maintain this reputation internationally, it is imperative that the Directive is transposed in such a manner that it not only meets these minimum standards but exceeds them.
The Irish Whistleblowing Law Society, in conjunction with Maynooth University Department of Law, is hosting a series of symposiums on the EU Whistleblowers Directive leading up to its transposition which will address key issues required to ensure the best transposition possible in Ireland. These symposiums will also be of interest to those in other EU Member States and internationally as regards best standards in whistleblower protection law.
The first of these symposiums will be a virtual event held on 3 June 2020 from 9.00am-1.00pm GMT. Attendance is free.
The speakers for the first symposium are as follows:
1. Professor David Lewis, Middlesex University: “What would effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties look like in the Irish context?”
2. Professor Kate Kenny, NUI Galway: "Beyond the law: Whistleblowing chill effects"
3. Dr. Vigjilenca Abazi, Maastricht University: "Reporting Channels for Whistleblowers: what the EU Directive gets right and what it gets wrong"
4. John Devitt, Transparency Ireland: "Civil Society supports for whistleblowers"
5. Dr. Lauren Kierans BL, Maynooth University: "Irish prescribed persons as competent authorities under the EU Whistleblowers Directive"
The speakers' papers from the symposiums will be published as an Ebook.
All attendees are required to register in advance of the symposium and a link to the virtual event will be shared via email with the registered attendees.Interested participants should email lauren.kierans@mu.ie. The closing date for registration is 1 June 2020.