At the end of the European Parliament's legal affairs committee meeting on Tuesday 8 November, Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, France) and Virginie Rozière (S&D, France) were appointed co-rapporteurs for drafting the Parliament's own-initiative report on the draft whistleblowers directive.
This double appointment is, however, rather unexpected. The decision is reportedly the result of negotiations between the leaders of the two groups, Gianni Pittella (S&D, Italy) and Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium), rather than at a level of the coordinators. Some quarters have interpreted this compromise as incomprehensible and they have concerns that the text will be slowed down by this “co-piloting” and become less ambitious.
This non-legislative dossier was subject to bitter discussions between the S&D and ALDE Groups during the coordinators’ meeting, which meant that nominations were postponed on a number of occasions (see EUROPE 11644). Cavada has claimed that this project is his alone. While the Greens were behind it at the beginning (see EUROPE 11546), Cavada has fought tooth and nail to keep the text under his control. On the side of the S&D Group, the trade secrets directive has left it feeling frustrated. Rozière has also been very much involved and therefore fought hard to keep the report under wraps, in the belief that a points system can be used.
It is rare for an own initiative report to provoke such dissension and conflict, with a political outcome at the top of the hierarchy. One source confided to us that this is in fact “good news” and that this battle demonstrates a genuine political appetite for the dossier.
The question of whistleblowers will have been dominated at the European Parliament by French MEPs, with the trade secrets directive having been put forward by Constance Le Grip (EPP) (see EUROPE 11532). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)