“Whistleblowers often have access to information that cannot be detected by other mechanisms. They bring unique added value to democracy and good local and regional governance,” noted the Congress rapporteur Josan MEIJERS (Netherlands, SOC) in a debate held on 3 April 2019 on the challenges of protecting whistleblowers at local and regional level.
In the report adopted, the Congress emphasises the need to enact national legislation for the protection of whistleblowers and to ensure that it is implemented at local and regional level. Policies on whistleblowers must ensure they have legal protection, and provide for appropriate internal, anonymous reporting channels.
The Congress encourages the setting-up of independent designated institutions, such as local and regional ombudsmen, to oversee and process the disclosure of information.
***
As part of its roadmap adopted in 2016, the Congress instructed its Governance Committee to prepare 6 reports on the following subjects:
- The misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes (October 2016)
- Transparent public procurement (October 2017)
- Transparency and open government (November 2018)
- Conflicts of interest at local and regional level (November 2018)
- The protection of whistleblowers (April 2019)
- Fighting nepotism within local and regional authorities (April 2019)
- Mediabox Interview
*** 36th Session of the Congress ***
