Global Compliance Developments

A blog on the Convercent site highlights recent developments in compliance worldwide, including new EU-wide whistleblower protections. The law must be approved by EU ministers and Member States will have two years to reach compliance after approval. The need for such protection is underscored by claims made by two Google employees who were instrumental in organizing a global walkout in 2017 and now claim they are facing retaliation. They recently held a town hall where other Google employees voiced concerns about what they call the company’s retaliatory internal culture. In other news, the chief policy officer of Lyft is urging government to face up to climate change, and Ford Motor Co. is under investigation by the DOJ for emissions testing problems. According to Ford, the practices in dispute do not involve “defeat devices,” or software intended to deceive regulators. Daimler and Fiat Chrysler are also reportedly under criminal investigation and their cases do allegedly involve such devices. German prosecutors are investigating Volkswagen again, this time for a possible breach of the automotive company’s fiduciary duty. The issue involves a VW manager who received bonus payments while suspended over the emissions scandal.