Albanian 
Prishtina, November 4, 2020 – Whistleblowing, as an informative act on the violations of the law within public institutions and private companies, is a process of significant importance that ensures the development and improvement of companies’ ethics and integrity, as well as the public interest in general. This was said, among others, during a virtual forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo and FOL movement, aimed at informing the private sector regarding the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers.
Erblin Hoxha, Project Management Consultant at FOL, as well as moderator of this forum, stated that the Law on Protection of Whistleblowers can improve businesses’ work processes while adding that it is imperative for the concept of whistleblowing to be understood appropriately in order to pave the way for the proper implementation of this law within the country.
Yllka Buzhala, Researcher at FOL, shared some of the provisions of this law related to the private sector, adding that its purpose is to enable whistleblowing on harmful practices and also to protect whistleblowers, while ensuring their confidentiality. Furthermore, she added that whistleblowing is not done on the basis of personal gain, and that it serves companies in improving work structures. Finally, Buzhala gave recommendations regarding proper implementation of this law, where she mentioned amongst others the need to select one person responsible for dealing with whistleblowing cases in companies with over 50 employees.
Tea Blakaj-Hoxha Secretary-General of the Arbitration Center at AmCham Kosovo, stated that only ten countries within the European Union have specific laws regarding whistleblowing, while according to her, this law creates great advantages for Kosovo. Blakaj-Hoxha mainly focused on the aspect of whistleblowers being wrongfully perceived as company spies, where she stressed that whistleblowing first and foremost helps companies save their integrity and ethics, as well as enables and supports a communicative environment which helps in increasing work efficiency. According to her, it is crucial for the public to fully understand the essence of the process of whistleblowing. On another note, Blakaj-Hoxha also recommended the creation of informative campaigns by the Ministry of Justice and other relevant stakeholders on the matter at hand.
Abdylkerim Ratkoceri, Human Resources and Administration Director at Meridian Corporation, while relating to the importance of this law, emphasized that inner communication between departments of the company in order to define the ways to treat cases of whistleblowing as well as their protection from potential punitive measures taken against them is of vital importance. Referring to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ratkoceri said that whistleblowing has been a great help in avoiding violations of health rights, while adding that once this situation is improved, many more businesses will focus on properly implementing this law.