Uber’s lobbying activities in France and its relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron are facing an official investigation following an investigation led by The Guardian last year.
A committee of French lawmakers will now investigate the transport company’s relations with public officials, including Macron, after journalists revealed extensive lobbying of politicians by the company.
The Uber files project, which was published by The Guardian and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), revealed that the company identified Macron as a key ally during his time as finance minister.
Macron sought to help Uber, at one point he claimed he had negotiated a “deal” with his political opponents, the files indicated.
The documents were provided to The Guardian by Mark MacGann, Uber’s former European lobbying chief, who said he had come to believe the company was exploiting its drivers. In his response to the investigation, Uber admitted errors and said its new CEO had reviewed the company’s practices.
Danielle Simonnet, the French parliamentarian who introduced the motion for the inquiry, said that in addition to the economic consequences of the informal economy, the commission would examine the “role of public officials” and “relationships between public and private decision-makers”.
The phrase seems to be a euphemistic reference to Uber’s relationship with Macron. An earlier motion by Simmonet was defeated last year because he was explicitly referring to the French president.
The French inquiry is the second parliamentary inquiry into Uber’s political relations to be launched as a result of the files. A two-month Belgian commission of inquiry into the Uber files was scheduled to start Thursday.
On the other hand, on Wednesday the Uber files were discussed in a session of the european parliament in Strasbourg.
Several MEPs expressed concern about last year’s reports, as well as the continued lobbying of MEPs by private interests in general. Others have harshly criticized Uber’s business model and accused the company of exploiting drivers.
“Workers can have flexibility while they are employed,” said Kim van Sparrentak, a Dutch Green MEP. “People struggling to find work deserve a real job, with rights and fair wages, instead of a temp application that follows their every step.”
Agnes Jongerius of the Dutch Labor Party said lobbying by MEPs had become even more intense since the investigation of the Uber files and called on parliament to “also look at the influence exerted by big tech companies.”
“If we don’t do this once and for all now, this [gig economy] model could be like an oil stain on the entire economy,” he said.
Uber denies exploiting drivers. Responding to the investigation of Uber’s files, he said the company had “moved from an era of confrontation to one of collaboration, demonstrating a willingness to come to the table and find common ground with former opponents, including unions and taxi companies”.
The company said Uber was “now regulated in more than 10,000 cities around the world, working at all levels of government to improve the lives of those who use our platform and the cities we serve.”
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Ylva Johansson told the Strasbourg debate that the commission “attached great importance to the role of whistleblowers for the proper functioning of our democracy and economy.”
He added that the commission had sought more information from former digital commissioner Neelie Kroes after files suggested she had secretly helped Uber put pressure on the Dutch government, and that the matter was being looked into by the European anti-fraud office (OLAF). .
