More than 60 organizations have joined EU politicians in a campaign to force Brussels to bring in a law protecting whistleblowers who expose corruption and tax avoidance, revealed in the LuxLeaks and Panama Papers leaks, after a new poll shows 35 percent of citizens fear retaliation.

Thirty-five percent of EU citizens said they are afraid of retaliation or a negative backlash by reporting corruption, according to new research published by Transparency International. This is despite the fact that one out of four citizens in the EU believes that reporting corruption is the most effective thing people can do to fight it, according to the public survey which covers 22 EU Member States.

"We can't fight corruption unless we fight the fear of speaking up. People must feel supported and protected, that's why we need EU-wide whistleblower protection to raise standards across Europe, so that individuals can come forward without fear of retaliation," said Carl Dolan, Director of Transparency International EU.

​'Whistleblowing Can Save Lives'

The calls come in the wake of the prosecution of PricewaterhouseCoopers employees Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet who were found guilty of stealing documents, revealing business secrets and violating trade secrets as part of the LuxLeaks scandal, which exposed tax avoidance schemes in Luxembourg.

Deltour was handed a 12-month suspended sentence, while Halet was given a nine-month suspended sentence. They also received suspended fines of US$1667 and US$1111 respectively. Edouard Perrin, the journalist who shed light on the affair, was acquitted.

Whistleblowers in the EU must be protected! Campaign launch Brussels today. EPSU #whistleEU @EUwhistleblowers https://t.co/iu9mkU7lGG — Philip Hunt (@shoemaneu) 17 November 2016

A coalition of trade unions behind the campaign — led by eurocadres.eu — said: "Whistleblowers often risk ending up paying a high price for disclosing information. Yet whistleblowing can be essential in bringing to light — for example — illegal activities, corruption, activities which are contrary to public interest and threats to public health and safety. Whistleblowing can save lives, the environment and money. It is high time for legislation on EU-wide whistleblower protection."