The European Commission needs to come forward with a proposal on EU wide legislation to protect those who expose wrongdoing or misconduct for the public good and the S&D Group is determined to take the lead in the fight and show that EU level legislation is possible. All that is needed is the political will. This was the message coming out of an S&D conference on protection of whistleblowers in the European Parliament.

S&D Spokesperson for economic and monetary affairs, Pervenche Berès, said:

“Tax evasion and tax avoidance cost European Union governments €1 trillion each year. Tackling this scourge, and proving that the EU is not only prioritising banks and multinationals over justice and human rights, must be our number one priority, so we can finance good quality public services and help boost ecological transition and job creation in Europe.”

“As we have seen with LuxLeaks and the Panama Papers, whistleblowers play a critical role in exposing the shady dealings that let multinational companies and super wealthy individuals get away with this robbery.”

“The S&D Group will continue to push for a comprehensive legal framework that will guarantee protection from retaliation or prosecution to those exposing illegal, immoral, improper or unethical activities. We want the Parliament to start working on its own report on the issue as soon as possible and look at different legal basis for this new law.”