EU Directive on whistleblower protection close to agreement

The EU is close to reaching an agreement that gives European whistle blowers greater protection from victimisation when they speak up in the public interest. The draft Directive sets minimum standards for protection that can be relied upon to shield whistleblowers from retaliatory actions when they speak up about wrongdoing in their workplace, to the authorities, or to the public via the media. In particular the draft agreement removes the “hierarchy of reporting obligations” that would have obliged employees to report to their employer first or risk losing all protection against dismissal or other retaliatory actions – even if they reported sensibly to a regulatory body.