Dec 2 (Reuters) - Slovakia's parliament gave initial approval on Tuesday to dismantle the country's whistleblower protection office and replace it with a new body, a move critics say undermines anti-corruption safeguards and could inflame tensions with Brussels.
The bill, fast-tracked by Prime Minister Robert Fico's leftist-nationalist government, would abolish the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) and create an Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers. The government argues the UOO has been politically abused and says the new agency will better serve those "who rightfully need protection".
