Activities of Marco VALLI related to 2016/2224(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on legitimate measures to protect whistle-blowers acting in the public interest when disclosing the confidential information of companies and public bodies
Amendments (18)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas an increasing number of economic fraud investigations may be of a cross-border nature, with whistle-blowers playing a major role key role in revealing what lies behind illegal acts perpetrated from without and detrimental to national economic interests;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas recent mass leaks revealing corruption, such as the Panama Papers and SwissLeaks affairs, or the avoidance of rules on labour law leading in certain cases to precarious employment, confirm the importance of the role played by whistle- blowers in defending the public interest;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, although the focus of the resolution adopted by Parliament is on whistle-blowers in the context of the financial interests of the EU, many of the proposed measures can also apply to whistle-blowers in a broader sense; stresses the contribution made by investigative journalists and considers that the protection afforded to whistle-blowers should also be extended to them;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Commission to include in its proposal a recommendation that every report of fraud be referred automatically to the relevant court with a view to launching an external investigation, to lay down penalties for the victimisation of whistle-blowers, whatever form it may take, and to provide for a financial reward for those reporting wrongdoing or irregularities detrimental to the financial interests of the European Union, amounting to between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered following a final judgment;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas concerns have often been raised that whistle-blowers face hostility and exclusion at their place of work, rather than being viewed positively, and are subjected not only to harassment but also to intimidation up to and including threats to their life;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3b (new)
Paragraph 3b (new)
3b. Urges the introduction of effective arrangements for protecting anyone who reports wrongdoing at the workplace, such as harassment, job blackmail, illegal recruitment and dismissal practices, pay discrimination and any other form of law- breaking;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3c (new)
Paragraph 3c (new)
3c. Calls for measures to protect workers to include arrangements for safeguarding the anonymity of whistle- blowers and the confidentiality of information, where appropriate by means of encryption, as well as penalties for anyone failing to meet their obligations in this area;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls, therefore, on the Commission to build on the resolution recommendation to seek the establishment of an independent information- gathering, advisory and referral EU body, with offices in Member States which are in a position to receive reports of irregularities, with sufficient budgetary resources, adequate competences and appropriate specialists, in order to help internal and external whistle- blowers use the right channels to disclose their information and ensure their protection;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas economic intelligence can be cross-border in scope and whereas whistle-blowers play a major role in bringing to light illegal acts carried out in other countries against national economic interests;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for action, including in school and university programmes, to change the public perception of whistle- blowers by highlighting their positive role as an early warning mechanism to prevent abuses and corruption and to enable public scrutiny of state action;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges the introduction of effective arrangements for protecting anyone who reports wrongdoing at the workplace, such as harassment, job blackmail, illegal recruitment and dismissal practices, pay discrimination and any other form of law- breaking;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls for measures to protect workers to include arrangements for safeguarding people’s anonymity and the confidentiality of information, where appropriate by means of encryption, and penalties for anyone failing to meet their obligations in this area;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points to the dangers of excluding whistle-blowing workers from career progression and of retaliation by colleagues at their workplace, and the dampening effect this has on those who may come across wrongdoing, and calls for everything possible to be done to put an end to behaviour of this kind;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Urges the Member States to pass legislation encouraging people to report illegal acts and wrongdoing by establishing an awards system including arrangements for paying whistle-blowers a percentage of any sums recovered by the public or private organisation involved;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls the importance of devising instruments to ban any form of retaliation, whether this be active dismissal or passive measures such as the blocking of promotion, and of taking action through the courts wherever this is necessary;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that proper and effective legislation is needed; encourages Member States to develop legislative instruments that protect those who report justified and proven breaches of conduct to public authorities;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the importance of urging Member States to implement rules protecting whistle-blowers in both the public and the private sectors;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Urges the relevant authorities to lay down a best-endeavours obligation in connection with arrangements for receiving and dealing with reports that are put in place by both employers and the authorities themselves.