The Protection of Whistleblowers - Upcoming Legal Changes: Risks, Obligations and Opportunities

The new EU Whistleblower Directive, which is intended to provide whistleblowers with greater protection, sets out a legal framework of minimum standards that have to be transposed by the EU member states into national legislation by December 17, 2021. In principle, this same deadline applies to the obligation on companies (with a minimum of 50 employees) to establish internal reporting channels and procedures in accordance with the EU Whistleblower Directive and the relevant national law.

During this webinar, we will take a look at this new legal framework and explain the content of the Directive. We will discuss the likely impact of this legislative change and the various obligations it will impose on companies. We will underline why it is important for companies to be aware of their obligations under this new legislation and take the necessary steps for compliance, but we will also explain why these new obligations can be seen as an opportunity: by setting up internal reporting channels and diligently following up on reports, companies can improve their ability to deal with issues internally and reduce the risk of damaging public disclosure, which could both expose trade secrets and harm their reputation. Communication is key, and we will discuss the steps you can take to ensure that your company actually benefits from this new legislation.

Speakers:

• Emmanuel Plasschaert, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
• Stefanie Tack, Counsel, Crowell & Moring LLP
• Ludo Goethals, Partner, Square Circle management consultancy

Languages:

• Dutch and French
• PPT in English