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The German Whistleblower Protection Act: A fast response from companies is required

On May 12, 2023, the German legislator passed the new Whistleblower Protection Act (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz - "HinSchG”), which transposes Directive (EU) 2019/1937 into national law. The act requires employers to establish internal reporting channels and to protect whistleblowers by treating their identities as confidential. It also prohibits unjustified discrimination such as dismissal, warning, denial of promotion or bullying. At the same time, the act addresses the risk of reputational damage to companies and public authorities by establishing incentives for preference of internal reporting channels and by allowing public disclosure only as a secondary option under specific conditions. The protection extends to whistleblowers themselves, as well as to persons who are subject of or otherwise affected by...To read the full article, please see the PDF file

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Authors

ドミニク・クルーゼ

Dominik KRUSE

  • Partner
  • Frankfurt / Düsseldorf

Dominik serves as co-representative of our offices in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, Germany. He advises Japanese companies on corporate and cross-border M&A matters, as well as European companies regarding their business expansion into Southeast Asia (notably Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam). He has a wealth of international experience and brings unique insights into deal-making across different cultures in both emerging and mature markets. Before joining the Tokyo office of Nishimura & Asahi in November 2019, Dominik worked at Clifford Chance (based out of Düsseldorf, Germany, and New York) and as in-house counsel at Pfizer, Inc. (New York).

ミリアム・シュタインケ

Miriam STEINKE

  • Associate
  • Frankfurt / Düsseldorf

Miriam is a German lawyer in our Frankfurt office.

Before joining Nishimura & Asahi, Miriam gained experience as research assistant at leading national and international law firms in Germany, focusing on civil litigation, in particular mass proceedings. She also worked at the University of Frankfurt's institute for Japanese Law, where she has engaged in the basics of modern Japanese law as well as its cultural foundations.