14 July 2026

PRESS RELEASE

Conference presenting the results of the LAW project

Last week, Transparency International Romania organised in Bucharest the international conference for presenting and debating the results of the project Legitimacy and Accountability for better protection of Whistleblowers_LAW.

The event brought together representatives of public institutions, companies and civil society, including participants who had attended training sessions delivered over the project’s two-year implementation period. Discussions were based on the Comparative Study on Whistleblower Protection in Romania and Bulgaria, developed within the project. The study assesses the extent to which national legislation is aligned with European Union standards, as well as the effectiveness of the mechanisms designed to guarantee confidentiality and support individuals reporting wrongdoing.

The study finds that Romania needs improvements in legal clarity and the sanctions regime, while Bulgaria must address structural and operational shortcomings, particularly concerning institutional design and enforcement.

Main findings:

• implementation gaps are a critical weakness in both countries;
• confidentiality and protection against retaliation remain areas of concern;
• formal compliance does not automatically translate into effective protection;
• support mechanisms for whistleblowers are underdeveloped in both countries;
• both systems demonstrate that whistleblower protection is still in a consolidation phase.

The study also sets out a number of recommendations, including targeted reforms in both countries: clarifying legal provisions, strengthening confidentiality safeguards, expanding support measures, improving coordination among authorities, and enhancing enforcement mechanisms. These steps are essential to build trust, encourage reporting, and ensure that whistleblowing effectively contributes to transparency and accountability.

The full document is available on the Transparency International Romania website.

The project “Legitimacy and Accountability for better protection of Whistleblowers_LAW”, implemented by Transparency International Romania in partnership with Transparency International Bulgaria, is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme.