On Monday 17 October, no fewer than 44 organisations launched a platform to ensure that the EU provides a legislative framework to protect whistleblowers.
The initiative follows recent developments in the Luxleaks affair and the sentencing of Antoine Deltour, a former employee of PwC, the source of the leaks (see EUROPE 11589). The initiative seeks to support the attempts being outlined at the European Parliament to encourage the European Commission to propose a horizontal legislative framework that would cover all employees, as well as third parties.
During the platform launch, Carl Dolan, the director of Transparency International EU, stated that almost half of all bribery cases in the defence and aerospace sectors involved third parties, entrepreneurs and agents. If these people want to denounce these practices, they are not covered by legislation, he said.
The organisations attending the press conference (Eurocadres, FSESP, ETUC, the European Journalists’ Federation and Transparency International) wanted to maintain the current dynamic launched at the European Parliament (see EUROPE 11576) and recently – more surprisingly – at the Council the EU (see EUROPE 11641).
The ball is now in the Commission’s court, which has always displayed more misgivings due to the lack of a legal basis in primary law, explained some of the speakers, who would like to exercise as much pressure as possible. The European Parliament’s legal services have launched another possible area to pursue this goal. This involves the implicit competency developed on a number of different occasions by the European Court of Justice (see EUROPE 11628).
Although the initiative has been launched, it is not closed and other signatures can join it, explained the head of Eurocadres, Martin Jefflen. “The more we are, the more we will have power”, he said. The initiative will be considered a success once it receives the support of 20,000 signatures, he told EUROPE.
Tension surrounding name of European Parliament rapporteur. The own initiative report on whistleblowing is stalling at the European Parliament due to the disagreement between the ALDE and S&D Groups. While ALDE wants Jean-Marie Cavada (France) as rapporteur, the S&D wants Virginie Rozière (France). Although the Greens/EFA and S&D Groups were present at the event, there was a notable absence of the liberals. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)