The Annual Meeting of the Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection, hosted by the Coalition member Civic Alliance Montenegro took place on March 21, 2024 in Podgorica, Montenegro.
The representative of TI-Macedonia at the meeting of the Coalition was Metodi Zajkov, Secretary General.
The event brought together the coalition members from the Southeast Europe (SEE), representatives from state and public institutions in Montenegro, and other key figures from civil society in the field of whistleblowing and anti-corruption. The meeting was opened by introductory remarks, a motivational speech, and the delivery of the Free Speech Awards of the Coalition.
The Coalition is actively advocating for the Transposition of the EU 2019/1937 Directive on Whistleblower Protection into national laws in the SEE by taking a supportive approach and highlighting the benefits of this process.
During his opening address, Mr. Riccardo Serri, Deputy Head of the Delegation of European Union to Montenegro noted that the role of whistleblowers is more important than ever as they are key actors in the anti-corruption chain. Mr. Serri also highlighted that, in addition to good national laws, it is also crucial to create enabling environment for whistleblowers.
Mr. Nikola Naumovski, RAI Senior anti-corruption Advisor said that RAI Secretariat has been supportive of the work of the Coalition since its establishment, in recognition of the importance of collaboration between the government and the non-governmental sector in effectively protecting whistleblowers.
The Southeast Europe Coalition for Whistleblower Protection, established in 2015 with RAI support, is the world’s first regional civil society initiative dedicated to enhancing whistleblower rights and protections, and promoting whistleblowing as an effective anti-corruption tool.
The annual meetings of the Coalition are also an opportunity to celebrate success and capture lessons learned and serve the purpose of strengthening the SEE Coalition, membership expansion and diversification.
Source: https://rai-see.org/annual-meeting-of-the-southeast-europe-coalition-on-whistleblower-protection/
