Slovak Parliament Reverses Decision to Abolish Whistleblower Protection Office

Slovakia's parliament reversed a government decision to abolish the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers, with the legislature voting this week to cancel the law that would have eliminated the corruption-fighting institution. The original abolition initiative came from Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok of Hlas, a party in the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Fico. Zuzana Dlugošová, head of the whistleblower protection office, described the attempted closure as a wasteful use of energy, time and money, noting that 2025 has been a record year for corruption reports. The Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers was established to encourage and protect individuals who report corruption and other wrongdoing in both public and private sectors. The reversal represents a rare parliamentary rebuke of a government initiative and highlights ongoing tensions over anti-corruption efforts in Slovakia, where the ruling Smer-SD and Hlas parties have faced criticism for weakening oversight institutions.