Xnet registers in the Spanish Parliament the first transposition of the Whistleblowers’ Directive

A draft law proposed by Xnet, and registered in the Spanish Parliament thanks to the support of various MPs.
With this campaign headed up by Xnet, Spain is set to be the first country in the European Union to transpose the European Directive for the Whistleblowers’ Protection.

On Thursday, June 13,
 at 12 noon,

The Draft Law was presented to the press.
Xnet is a pioneering organisation in Spain leading the way in the defence of whistleblowers, anticorruption and democracy innovation in the digital era.
Xnet is member of WIN (Whistleblowing International Network).

The Draft Law was registered shortly after the opening of the registry in the Parliament, on 30 May. It was registered with the support of 15 MPs following of according to the usual methodology applied by Xnet (https://xnet-x.net/hazlo-tu-proposiciones-ley-congreso/).
 

Participants in the press conference:

– Xnet: Simona Levi, founder and co-author of the law together with the legal team led by Míriam Carles; Sergio Salgado, co-spokesperson;

– Luis Gonzalo Segura, former army lieutenant and whistleblower;

– José María Mollinedo, General Secretary of the Union of Technicians of the Ministry of Finance (Gestha);

– Pam Bartlett Quintanilla, activist for democracy and adviser to the Greens / ALE Eurogroup, one of the people who have most closely on this dossier in the European Parliament;

– Julio Martínez, president of the Platform for Honesty;

– Other whistleblowers and organizations that work with them;

– The Mps Xavier Eritja (ERC) and Joan Baldoví (Compromís) on behalf of the MPs registering.
 

Xnet has also explain the negotiations it is heading up with other MPs to ensure enough support for the bill to be passed by the Spanish Parliament.

As the Xnet text is a milestone for the fight for whistleblowers in Europe, the following organisations and persons have signed a statement in support:
 

STATEMENT

The undersigned organisations and individuals, all of whom have extensive experience in the fight for regulations to defend those who blow the whistle on systemic abuses, support the Comprehensive Whistleblowers’ Law created by Xnet.

It marks an extremely important milestone as the first transposition of the European Whistleblowers’ Directive we have all fought for. We hope it will prove to be an example that is replicated to the same standards across many other European member states.

We hope that the wide-reaching consensus reached to pass the Directive in the European Parliament (591 votes in favour, 29 against, 33 abstentions) can also be repeated in the Spanish Congress of Deputies.

Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) – Anna Myers
The Signals – Delphine Halgand
Blueprint For Freespeech – Suelette Dreyfus
Government Accountability Project – Tom Devine
European Center for Whistelblower Rights – Mark Worth
Eva Joly – Anticorruption, magistrate and former MEP
Protect – Francesca West
The Ethicos Group Australia – Howard Whitton
Renewable Freedom Foundation – Moritz Bartl
WeMove Europe
Transnational Institute – Fiona Dove
Homo Digitalis – Eleftherios Chelioudakis
Debt Observatory in Globalisation (ODG)
Cristina Flesher Fominaya – Social Politics and Media, University of Loughborough

“The only way for whistleblower protection laws to make a real difference is if they are developed and supported by civil society who understand the challenges and the opportunities that protecting whistleblowers has for benefitting the public.” says Anna Myers, Executive Director WIN “WIN is delighted that Xnet has taken a lead in Europe to integrate the new EU Directive in a whistleblower law for Spain that reflects the Spanish experience and addresses the legal and social challenges that face public interest whistleblowers in that country.  Now is the time to push for the progressive laws across Europe that really make a difference!”

Whistleblowing International Network (WIN)