11/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - Council to adopt trade secrets directive on 17 May. Ministers for agriculture will adopt the trade secrets directive without debate on 17 May (point A), according to a European source. This follows the go-ahead given by the Committee of Permanent Representatives I (COREPER I) to the agreement on the directive on Wednesday morning 11 May. This approval follows the controversial adoption of the same directive at the European Parliament plenary last April in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal (see EUROPE 11532). Since then, the Greens/EFA have submitted a proposal for a directive to protect whistle blowers - a draft which has received the support of the vast majority of MEPs in all the different political groups, as well of the European Commission, to the great astonishment of certain observers (see EUROPE 11546). (PH)