The American transport service provider Uber is said to have lobbied aggressively to gain a foothold in the European market. More than 124,000 internal documents show how the company “tried to influence politicians, officials and journalists,” several media outlets reported Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron, who allegedly overturned an Uber-critical regulation at the company’s request, has been criticized.
At that time (2015) he was Minister of Economic Affairs and wrote to the transport service provider, according to NDR, WDR and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, that he would look into the matter personally. The French Ministry of Economy would like to help the company consolidate its position in the country. Uber was even suggested to submit fully worded amendments to deputies. The Elysée defended that Macron had been in contact with many companies affected by “profound changes” in the service sector. However, the opposition accused the president of acting as a lobbyist and has already called for a parliamentary inquiry.
FDP politicians and economists in sight
In addition to Macron, the FDP politician Otto Fricke, the economist Justus Haucap and the then EU Commissioner for Digital Affairs Neelie Kroes were also targeted. Fricke, who worked as a lobbyist before returning to the Bundestag in 2017, is said to have implemented an amendment to the Passenger Transport Act in the sense of the driving service provider. The reports accuse Haucap of posting a commissioned study and an Uber-friendly article in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (2014). What is particularly explosive is that Haucap must guarantee the journalistic independence of the medium. After his departure from Brussels, Kroes got a well-paid consultancy job with the American company. However, documents show that she has had previous contact with the carrier.
The British newspaper “The Guardian” received the dataset, which consists of emails, text messages and presentations from the years 2013 to 2017. Uber initially encountered massive resistance and legal hurdles in European countries. In 2016 alone, therefore, a lobby budget of 90 million euros has been mobilized to clean them up. Uber offers online brokerage services to transport people.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
