The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive in the Context of the Jonathan Taylor Extradition

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Friday, May 28, 2021
Author: 
Austin Max Scherer
Volume: 
37
Issue: 
6
Abstract: 

On December 16, 2019, the European Union (EU) Whistleblower Protection Directive was adopted.[1]  The directive intended to cure whistleblower protection that was viewed as fragmented and inconsistent.  Within the framework, the directive set out minimum EU-wide standards for: “reporting channels for organizations of a certain size; and the level of protection afforded to persons that report breaches of Union law.”[2]  Since the initiation of the directive, member states were provided with a period of two-years to implement these policies into their respective constitutions, statutes, and treatises.[3]  With the two year deadline quickly approaching, it is prudent to check in on the progress of the member states and discuss the benefits and obstacles this directive may face.  In addition, this article will interweave the Jonathan Taylor case, a U.K. native and whistleblower that exposed bribery at his old firm SMB Offshore, into the analysis of the directive.[4] 
 



[1] See Werner Berg, Sunny Mann, and Julia M. Wilson, Whistleblower Protection Directive, bakermckenzie.com, https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2020/02/whistleblower-protection-directive (last visited May. 24, 2021).
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Jo Couzens, Jonathan Taylor: Oil whistleblower’s Monaco extradition bid upheld, bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-57137065 (last visited May. 24, 2021).