Democratic Party asks EU to establish whistleblower protection laws for all member states

The Democratic Party has written to the European Union asking it to establish, at Union level, laws for the protection of whistleblowers.

In a letter sent to European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, the PD proposed that the concept and status of a whistleblower be defined by EU legislation.

It also suggested that EU law provide for the superior courts of each member state - upon the request of any interested party, including another EU member state - to be able to hear and decide any demand that a resident of an EU country be given whistleblower status.

Where any person is given the status of whistleblower, the PD proposed, this should be respected and enforced by all EU countries.

The PD told Tajani that it was “incumbent on the EU to act to assist in the preservation of the rule of law within all member states and to ensure that the citizens of all member states possess access to reliable whistleblower protection”.

It underlined that this should be so “particularly where such protection is being hindered by the state in which the whistleblower resides”.

“As we have seen in Malta, the implementation of our Whistleblower Act leaves much to be desired,” the PD said in a statement, “[Former Financial Intelligence Analysis Union official] Jonathan Ferris’s application is a case in point. Such a system does not seem to work when the whistleblower has evidence against the current Executive or high government officials.”

The letter was also sent to European Commission Vice President Frans-Timmermans, Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Parliament and its Petitions Committee, the ALDE MEP group, and all Maltese MEPs.