Bartosz Troczyński | In Principle

Whistleblowing became a buzzword in Poland in 2024 following the delayed implementation of the EU’s Whistleblower Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law) (WBD). By September 2024, most private companies in Poland were required to comply with national legislation mandating internal policies for reporting and follow-up actions. At the time, many organisations scrambled to meet these statutory requirements—some were fine-tuning existing speak-up channels to align with the new law, while others were building a framework from scratch. The business press was flooded with discussions on compliance, and webinars and seminars on the topic were everywhere. However, much of the focus was on setting up reporting channels and policies, often overlooking the broader significance and long-term impact of these changes.