THE LAW ON PROTECTION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS IN FUNCTION OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION: THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Abstract

The authors of the paper analyse the Macedonian legislation on protection of whistleblowers as an efficient tool for fighting corruption. Firstly, the authors point that corruption in all its forms is a real problem of the modern society, as well as in our country. The corruption in Macedonia affects all aspects of the society: from the performance of the government and the public officials, to social activities that endangers the rule of law. The issue of corruption in the country is constantly present in the reports of the European Commission, in a negative connotation. In this regard, according to the Progress Report 2014, a top priority for the enlargement countries, including the Republic of Macedonia is "the need to introduce stronger framework for effectively preventing and combating corruption". Next, the authors of the paper refer to the relatively new Macedonian legislation on whistleblowing. In terms of its implications in practice, it is still too early to draw conclusions since the law was adopted in 2015 and entered into force in 2016. However, the authors of the paper specify certain observations regarding the strengths and the weaknesses of the legal text compared with the laws of other countries that have a longer tradition of regulation and application of the whistleblowing. Finally, the authors note that the law is modern, it incorporates the contemporary solutions for legal regulation of whistleblowing, however, it cannot be included in the group of countries that are most advanced in this field. As a conclusion the authors suggest recommendations for further improvements of the protection of whistleblowers in fighting the corruption in the country.