Brussels, 28/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 28 July, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly announced that an investigation has been opened to determine whether the EU administration is living up to its obligation to introduce internal whistleblowing rules. She has asked nine EU institutions - including the European Commission, Parliament and Council - to inform her by 31 October 2014 about the rules they have in place, or intend to introduce.
“Whistleblowers play a key role in uncovering serious irregularities. I want to ensure that the EU institutions have in place the necessary rules to protect whistleblowers and to deal with complaints they submit about how they have been treated”, O'Reilly states.
EU staff are obliged to report serious irregularities that they uncover in the course of their work. However, people tend to be reluctant to do so within their own organisation and often fear retaliation.
Since January 2014, under the new staff regulations agreed by the European Parliament and the member states, the EU institutions have been legally obliged to introduce internal whistleblowing rules. So far, the Commission has been the most advanced institution by adopting guidelines on whistleblowing, but not yet internal rules.
In O'Reilly's letter opening this investigation, she asks the institutions about the extent to which staff and the public have been consulted about these rules, as well as about the protection of external whistleblowers, such as contractors or subcontractors in EU funded projects.
O'Reilly has drafted internal whistleblowing rules, in co-operation with the Ombudsman's staff committee and data protection officer. She has also published them and invites all interested parties to submit feedback (http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/cases/correspondence.faces/en/54612/html.bookmark ). (LC)