International

The advisory report from SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong on the protection of whistleblowers was carried today in the Budgetary Control Commission by 16 votes to 1, with 4 abstentions. Explaining the necessity for his report, De Jong said: “The proposal from the European Commission only deals with whistleblowers in the member states. However, there's also a growing number of people within the EU institutions willing to stick their necks out and report abuses. In my report I've made a series of proposals aimed at improving protection for such people.” 

International law's a great idea, but should never form an obstacle to the interests of the state. That's what, in a nutshell. Ko Colin of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (aka the Clingendael Institute) wrote recently. In other words, conducting foreign policy would become extremely difficult if the international legal principle of non-intervention were to be taken literally.