Last week MEPs and the Council made their first exchange of views on the Whistleblowing Directive. Member states reduced the number or articles that form the legal basis of the future regulation from 17 to 13, while the Parliament added Article 153 of the EU Treaty on workers' protection. Some of the outstanding issues surround the level of protection people that leak from inside companies should get and how to handle "facilitators", or people who assist whistleblowers. The next trialogue meeting is planned for the 26 February. An agreement is expected by March.