Brussels, 4 March 2019 – Those who denounce corruption or wrongdoing from within organisations and companies need to be protected and encouraged to report. After years of pressing from civil society, trade unions and ONGs, the EU Parliament finally drafted a new law. But this makes it mandatory to wistleblowers to report firstly internally, to members or bodies of the organisation they want to report about, exposing those who report and denounce to revenge or to dangerous reprisals. Furthermore, internal mandatory reports ease cover up of legal evidence by the management, so the reports and denounces would be no longer effective. For this reasons it sounds inappropriate such a rule right from EU regulators.

The only way out is changing the draft bill:  over 280.000 EU citizens signed the Petition launched by the civil organisations Protect Whistleblowers and Eurocadres as a clear sign the new landmark law is expected to protect those who denounce corruption and address the values of the wider society with no mediation with the interests of businesses or industries.

The Petition asks:

1) Whistleblowers must be able to report directly to law enforcement agencies and competent authorities without risking losing protection.
2 ) safe disclosure to journalists. 

3) A “non-regression clause”which guarantees that the directive cannot be used as an excuse to worsen already existing whistleblower protection laws and procedures.

4) There should not be any extra test on how the information reported was acquired.

Justine de Braeme

Talkeurope.org