Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2015-04-28-Speech-2-1086-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20150428.46.2-1086-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, the parliamentary intergroup on integrity, transparency and organised crime will be launched in Parliament tomorrow evening and I hope we can use this as a vehicle to campaign for a European directive in defence of whistle-blowers.
The European Ombudsman has asked us to change our culture, admit that bad things happen, and while she argues that whistle-blowers are not enough to keep fraud, corruption and mismanagement out of EU institutions, they do have a role to play, in that they sound the alarm. Yet out of nine EU bodies, only two have responded adequately to the European Ombudsman’s insistence that they have internal rules on whistle-blowing. Only the Commission and the European Court of Auditors have in place policies for taking whistle-blowers’ concerns seriously and protecting the individual.
In regard to the protection of the LuxLeaks whistle-blowers, which is the topic we are discussing this evening, I waited to hear what the Commissioner might say, but I heard nothing – except that where there is no appropriate EU law it is up to the Member States. We know that, but I am wondering, has the Commission nothing more to say on this issue?
It is because of the LuxLeaks whistle-blowers that we have now set up the Tax Committee (Special Committee on tax rulings and other measures in nature or effect) in this Parliament. At all times, but especially in times of crisis, citizens want to see equity in the tax system and transparency in the tax system and they want to know that their governments and, at an EU level cooperatively, that we are trying to ensure tax justice.
As I said, we need a cultural change because otherwise wrongdoing in all sectors, at all levels, whether it is big, small or in-between, will go unchecked. In my view, one of the greatest deterrents to wrongdoing, fraud, embezzlement, whatever, is the fear of being caught, but if wrongdoers are safe in the knowledge that those who are in a position to whistle-blow will most likely keep quiet, then they are likely to continue with their actions.
Commissioner, we need to explore action at EU level."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples