EU authorities have been urged to investigate a former Uber-linked politician and to consider withdrawing access to the European Parliament from the taxi transport company amid growing calls to curb groups of technological pressure.
Nearly two dozen Democratic and Green Socialist MPs wrote to the European Commission on Tuesday calling for an investigation into its former vice-president Neelie Kroes for documents that appear to show Uber helped pressure the Dutch government shortly after leaving office in 2014 as President of the EU. top responsible for Internet policy.
Kroes has denied any misconduct. Following the revelations, the commission undertook to write to him to ask for “clarifications” on the media reports.
The demand for an EU investigation comes as some politicians weigh stricter rules on lobbying after the publication of Uber files, a data set leaked to The Guardian and shared with media from 29 countries through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
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What are Uber files?
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Uber’s files are a global investigation based on a fund of 124,000 documents that Mark MacGann, Uber’s former chief lobbyist in Europe, the Middle East and Africa leaked to the Guardian. The data consists of emails, iMessages and WhatsApp exchanges among the Silicon Valley giant’s top executives, as well as notes, presentations, notebooks, informational documents and invoices.
The leaked records cover 40 countries and span from 2013 to 2017, the period in which Uber aggressively expanded around the world. They reveal how the company broke the law, tricked police and regulators, exploited violence against drivers and put secret pressure on governments around the world.
To facilitate a global investigation in the public interest, The Guardian shared the data with 180 journalists from 29 countries through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The investigation was managed and directed by the Guardian with the ICIJ.
In a statement, Uber said, “We have not apologized or will make excuses for past behaviors that are clearly not in line with our current values. Instead, we ask the public to judge us for what we have done over the past five years. and what we will do in the coming years. “
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An Indian minister told the Indian Express that it was “disturbing” that major technology platforms had used the technology “to evade scrutiny and circumvent the laws,” and promised tighter controls on the sector. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of Electronics and Computers, said that in the future “within the new rules and laws, the opportunity for large technology platforms to violate Indian laws or do something illegal like this will be greatly reduced. “.
Uber files detail how the company used covert technology to deflect authorities from its odor, tried to take advantage of violent protests from angry taxi drivers, and held undeclared meetings with ministers and senior officials as part of a campaign. of aggressive lobbying to enter markets around the world.
In Italy, taxi drivers stopped their vehicles across the country on Tuesday in protest of the revelations, the Ansa news agency reported. Drivers have been protesting for weeks against a bill that would expose them to more Uber competition.
Irish taoiseach Michéal Martin told the Irish Times that there should be more transparency around the lobby and business after the revelations, detailing how an official turned Uber lobby promised to deliver the documents at the home of the then Minister of Finance.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor of Spain, Yolanda Díaz, who introduced a law that obliges online delivery companies to hire their messengers, said that democracy must be deepened in response to reports on the activities of Uber in your country.
The files have had a major impact in France, with President Emmanuel Macron under fire from his national opponents on the left and far right after his efforts to disrupt France’s closed taxi industry were revealed. Minister of Economy between 2014 and 2016.
In Brussels, the President of the European Parliament has been asked to investigate the conduct of Uber lobbyists “and, if necessary, deactivate their passes” at the institution, restricting access to 705 lawmakers and to your staff. Daniel Freund, a German green MEP, said the company could be guilty of a “very deliberate breach” of the rules in force for pressure groups at the time, because it had tried to keep a relationship with Kroes secret at one time in which it was forbidden. to put pressure on the EU executive.
Freund also put his name on a letter with 22 more MEPs calling for the EU executive to investigate the former vice-president. The group called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to consider sanctions against Kroes if the investigation finds that he had breached EU ethical standards.
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Under EU rules, a former commissioner can lose his pension if he is found to be in breach of ethical rules, which include a lifelong commitment to “integrity and discretion”.
The European Trade Union Confederation, an umbrella organization with members in 39 countries, called for the suspension of letters of access to parliament for Uber staff, pending an investigation, while stating that the company “was pushing to try to dilute EU legislation on platform workers’ rights.”
EU lawmakers are debating a bill that would force companies in the gig economy to give their workers the minimum wage, sick pay and holidays, a proposal that has been criticized by companies that would be seen affected.
Uber has said it has updated its lobbying rules, tightening requirements and oversight, from the period covered by the leak.