The arbitrary detention of Julian Assange set a dangerous precedent for journalists

Julian Assange, publisher of Wikileaks, is currently detained in Belmarsh high-security prison in the United Kingdom. He faces extradition to the United States and criminal prosecution under the US Espionage Act. He has been charged for publishing the Afghanistan and Iraq war diaries and US embassy cables, important documents that many journalists around the world used and helped to publicise. The “War Diaries” provided evidence that the US Government misled the public about activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and committed war crimes. “We believe that the arbitrary detention and criminal prosecution of Julian Assange set an extremely dangerous precedent for…

Protecting whistleblowers: an European challenge

In France, the Defender of Rights, a constitutional independent agency, is responsible for guiding and protecting whistleblowers since the creation of a framework of protection by the Law of 9 December 2016 relating to transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernization of the economic life. Three years after the entry into force of this protection and two years before the deadline for the implementation of the European directive, the Defender of Rights will organise the European meeting Protecting Whistleblowers: An European Challenge. The encounter will offer an opportunity to engage dialogue among stakeholders and experts in order to foster…

Whistleblowing directive: EFJ regrets that protection for public disclosure is subject to restrictive conditions

On Monday 11 March, the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council of the European Union reached a political agreement on the protection of whistleblowers against reprisals. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the significant improvements compared to the directive proposal, but regrets the intent of limiting protection for those reporting to the public, in particular through the media. From the very beginning the issue of the reporting channels has been the main point of discord during the negotiations. What procedure whistleblowers should follow to be granted protection? The European institutions came to a decision on Monday evening. Whistleblowers…

EU Whistleblowing Directive: protection for companies or for whistleblowers?

As the EU’s flagship whistleblowing Directive reaches the final stage of negotiations between national Governments and the European Parliament, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to warn that the EU risks ending up with a Directive that protects companies more than it protects whistleblowers! “Some member states are insisting that whistleblowers must first go through an internal reporting procedure,” said Esther Lynch, Confederal Secretary of the ETUC. “This is not in the interests of those exposing wrong-doing or the public. It would give companies every opportunity to cover up their wrong-doing and to…

JURI Committee strengthens EU-wide protection for whistleblowers

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the vote of the EU Legal Affairs Committee for an EU-wide protection and support for whistleblowers. Today, Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee MEPs approved draft legislation to guarantee that whistleblowers in the EU can report breaches of EU law in the area of tax evasion, corruption, environmental protection and public health and safety, without fear of retaliation or intimidation. MEPs agreed that the same protection measures must also apply to those assisting the reporting person, including journalists. The text was adopted by 22 votes to none against, with 1 abstention. Proposals to set up safe mechanisms…

New brochure examines whistleblowing from the journalists’ perspective

The European Commission published on 23 April 2018 a proposal for a directive on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed this initiative, while warning that the legislative text doesn’t fully meet the criteria to establish a robust protection against retaliation for whistleblowers at the European level. In a brochure published in September, Quentin Van Enis, a legal expert specialised in media, lecturer at the University of Namur and member of the Belgian press council (CDJ), analysed for the EFJ the draft directive from the journalists’ perspective. The author highlighted the…

The EU is finalising the directive for protecting whistleblowers

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes European commissioner Jourová’s recent announcement on preparing a horizontal legislation on whistleblower protection. Speaking of the recent killing of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Slovakia, Vera Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equity, said on 5th March, in EU LIBE Committee, that she considers the rule of law as one of the things that really matter. If Kuciak’s case is not dealt with satisfactorily, she said, then it would provide additional support for the establishment by 2020 of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which could try cases such as financial crime,…

GUE/NGL event on protecting journalists and whistleblowers to be held in honour of Daphne Caruana Galizia

The assassination of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia last October is a tragic reminder of the ever-present dangers that crusading journalists and whistleblowers face on a daily basis – even when reporting here inside the EU. The laws that purport to safeguard their and our basic human rights, professional dignity and media freedom are clearly inadequate. With Galizia’s murder and the ongoing cases against the LuxLeaks whistleblowers and Julian Assange, the EU still has a long way to go in offering proper protection for journalists and whistleblowers. In honour of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the European United Left / Nordic…

Eurobarometer survey shows whistleblowing is seen as difficult and dangerous

The latest Special Eurobarometer on Corruption, published on 19 December 2017, shows a widespread perception that whistleblowers across Europe face a difficult and dangerous situation. This collection of surveys across 28 European Union member states, conducted by the European Commission, focuses on corruption, giving a clear overview of the state of corruption in Europe. According to the results, more than two thirds (68%) of Europeans think that corruption is widespread in their country. This number has fallen by 8% since 2013, however the majority of Europeans (73%) still believe that there is corruption in national public institutions, and that the…