(Luxembourg, 28 November 2025) - Today, the European Chief Prosecutor addressed a letter to the European Commission in line with Recital 16 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2092 of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the budget of the European Union (Conditionality Regulation), pointing at the amendments to the Slovak law on whistle-blower protection very recently proposed by the government of the Slovak Republic and due to be adopted next week through an expedited procedure.
Based on an analysis of the proposed legislation, the European Chief Prosecutor concluded that it contains several elements which cannot be reconciled with the respect for the principles of the Rule of Law as laid down in the Conditionality Regulation. The proposed law aims at restricting whistle-blower protection for several categories of persons, in particular for those that are not directly employed by the entity whose wrongdoings are uncovered. Failure to adequately protect all whistle-blowers, including the police forces, seriously limits detection, reporting, and investigation, particularly of corruption.
The proposal also introduces retroactivity of the amendments which, if adopted, will also directly affect ongoing EPPO cases.
The European Chief Prosecutor therefore informed the European Commission that the proposals, should they be adopted, would have a negative effect on the efficiency of criminal investigations into breaches of the law in general and on the overall level of protection of the financial interests of the EU.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.