The European Parliament supported by a clear majority (591 votes in favour, 29 against, 33 abstentions), on Tuesday 16 April in Strasbourg, the agreement reached with the Council of the EU on the proposal for a directive to protect whistleblowers denouncing breaches of European Union law, concluding a turbulent legislative process.
The agreement reached in early March resolves the issue of prioritising the reporting of wrongdoing by delimiting a two-step process: - a first internal or external report to a competent authority, then; - a report to the media and the public.
The directive will cover employees, trainees, subcontractors, service providers, consultants and anyone who has helped the whistleblower (i.e. “facilitators”). Any company with at least 50 employees will need to have an internal mechanism.
Significant exemptions are provided for alerts concerning professional and medical secrets or those involving State security and defence (see EUROPE 12212/11).
The consensus displayed before the vote was almost unanimous. However, as the rapporteur, Virginie Rozière (S&D, France), pointed out, the text has come a long way, particularly with obstacles from the EU Council. In particular, France, Hungary and Austria have adopted strong positions on reporting channels.
The protection of whistleblowers at the EU level is the counterpart of the Trade Secrets Directive, which had provoked an outcry from many MEPs (see EUROPE 11454/8).
To view the final agreement: https://bit.ly/2ID7N4L. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)