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 today.

S&D Group spokesperson for legal affairs, Evelyn Regner, said:

“A democratic society is dependent on courageous and brave whistleblowers who shine a light on shady practices or illegal dealings. However, far too often those that expose wrongdoing are the ones who face trials and punishment, while the perpetrators continue their work without sanctions.

“Many times the revelations have effects across borders, but there are currently no measures at EU level to encourage those with information to pass it on. Whistleblowers need to feel safe and they need to have legal clarity.

“The EU has to go beyond nice words and ensure effective protection of those who denounce dodgy dealings, act for the good of society and risk their own reputation and economic existence, and sometimes even their freedom. We expect the Commission to take the issue seriously and include it in their plan of activities for 2017.
On 19 October 2016, the progressive family in Europe, on the initiative of the S&D Group, launched an 18-month project designed to find answers to the problems the EU is facing. The project called "TOGETHER - A new direction for a progressive Europe - Stand up for our future!" goes beyond a traditional political consultation: it means involving citizens in building a progressive Europe.

TOGETHER is a joint project by the S&D Group and its partners, including the Party of European Socialists (PES), social-democratic representatives of national parliaments, the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, Socialist Group in the Council of Europe, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), Global Progressive Forum (GPF), SOLIDAR, civil society and progressive NGOs. The project is open to the public and over the next 18 months, events will be held all across the EU encouraging people to contribute to this new direction for Europe.