Source: Parliamentary Question in Dutch
Questions from the member Leijten (SP) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the dismissal of whistle-blower Roelie Post at the European Commission (submitted August 1, 2018).
Question 1
What do you think of the fact that whistle-blower Roelie Post has been dismissed by the European Commission on the basis of absence and the “non-loyal” predicate? Can you explain your answer? 1 2
Question 2
How do you judge that someone who mentions a serious misconduct, in this case child trafficking from (future) EU member states, will eventually be dismissed based on being “non-loyal”? Could you explain your answer?
Question 3
Do you realize that, due to the reasons for dismissal, she is not entitled to employment schemes, whereas she worked for 35 years at the European Commission? Could you explain your answer?
Question 4
Do you think it is also an outrageous intimidation that the European Commission sends it a (former) employer a bill of tens of thousands of euros because she would have been “unfairly absent”? Could you explain your answer?
Question 5
What other choice did Roelie Post have, after she was seriously threatened in Brussels and did not find any support from neither the European Commission nor the Belgian police for protection against these serious threats? Can you explain your answer?
Question 6
Do you share the opinion that an employer is also responsible for the safety of employees, especially if they can end up in serious threatening situations because of the nature of their work? If not, why not?
Question 7
How do you feel that the European Commission, after returning to the European Commission of Roelie Post, has exercised strong pressure to declare her unfit for work on psychological grounds? Could you explain your answer?
Question 8
What are you going to do to ensure that this whistle blower, who put the big scandal of child trafficking on the map, does not end up in a Kafkaesque, legal maze after her resignation by the European Commission? Could you explain your answer?
Question 9
Are you prepared to contact the President of the European Commission Mr Juncker to inform him that the treatment of Roelie Post is contrary to the protection of whistle-blowers announced by the European Commission? If not, why not? If so, can the Parliament be informed by you of the outcome?
Question 10
Do you acknowledge that the treatment of Roelie Post puts the European Commission in a very bad light? Could you explain your answer?
Explanation
These questions serve to supplement previous questions regarding this by the member
Omtzigt (CDA), submitted on 27 July 2018, (question number 2018Z14426).
1 AD, 31 juli 2018. «Ik wilde werken, maar mijn terugkeer was niet gewenst».
2 https://www.vpro.nl/argos/media/afleveringen/2018/Roelie-Post.html
3 Aanhangsel Handelingen, vergaderjaar 2017–2018, nr. 2524
4 https://twitter.com/TimmermansEU/status/988359743658962944