Hungary's Brand-new Whistleblowing Regime

On 11 April 2023, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a whistleblower protection act setting aside the previous one first adopted back in 2013. The new rules aim to finally transpose EU Directive 2019/1937 into the Hungarian legal system and impose substantial obligations on employers.

The amendment will enter into force on the 60th day after its publication, which is expected in the upcoming days. This means that all employers concerned must be prepared to apply its new provisions during the summer.

What should employers do?

One of the key obligations imposed by the new act is that employers with 50 or more employees must set up an internal whistleblowing system. Employers with at least 50 but no more than 249 employees have the option to establish a whistleblowing system jointly.