Letter: EU under scrutiny

Sir: The European Commission official who blew the whistle on cronyism and fraud in Brussels says, "I have been very lonely and I still am not certain about what is going to happen to me" ("Ignominious way for them to be sacked", 17 March). Now that his concerns have been fully vindicated, is there any good reason why he should remain suspended?

As Mr van Buitenen himself has said, if the UK's Public Interest Disclosure Act - which is due to come into force here this May - had applied to him, he would have been fully protected against victimisation. More importantly, the law would have helped ensure that the Commission dealt with his concerns properly in the first place.

If the new Commission is to signal a break with the past, it must reinstate Mr van Buitenen and introduce whistleblower protection for those countless officials less brave than him.

GUY DEHN

Director

Public Concern at Work

London EC1