The European Union’s strong stance on whistleblower protection has been undermined by member states’ wildly different approaches to punishing organizations that fail to safeguard people who raise concerns, says a leading speak-up campaigner.

Pav Gill, the whistleblower in the fraud scandal at German payments firm Wirecard, believes that while Europe is serious about encouraging people to blow the whistle, the level of legal protection can vary so much that in some cases it becomes almost negligible.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...