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Status: 07/11/2022 5:54 p.m
After the release of the Uber Files, French President Macron is facing growing criticism. Parts of the opposition are even calling for a committee of inquiry.
One day after the revelations about the secret meetings and close contacts between the current French head of state Emanuel Macron and the driving service provider Uber, the verdict in Paris is sharp. “Crushing revelations,” says Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel.
According to other parts of the opposition, Macron has put the interests of an American company above those of his own country, and Alexis Corbière, deputy leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, even holds out the prospect of a parliamentary committee of inquiry.
Ex-minister is appalled
France’s ex-transport minister, Alain Vidalies, a former colleague in Macron’s cabinet, told radio station France Info that he was “blown away” when he found out about the Uber Files research. He knew that Macron was positive about Uber, it corresponded to him and his idea of a “start-up nation,” Vidalies said. But he was not aware of the extent of Macron’s commitment to the Californian group that has now been revealed.
The Uber Files
The Uber Files consist of more than 124,000 confidential documents that an anonymous source leaked to the Guardian. In particular, they document the US company’s lobbying practices and internal efforts from 2013 to 2017, a time when Uber expanded aggressively worldwide. Coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Guardian, an international team of more than 180 journalists has evaluated the Uber Files over the past few months. “Le Monde”, the “Washington Post”, the “Indian Express”, “El Pais” and numerous others were involved in the research. In Germany, reporters work from NDR, WDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” on the Uber Files.
The Uber Files consist of more than 124,000 confidential documents that an anonymous source leaked to the Guardian. In particular, they document the company’s lobbying practices and internal efforts from 2013 to 2017, a period in which Uber expanded aggressively worldwide and enlisted decision-makers, academics, and the media. Coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the “Guardian”, an international team of more than 180 journalists has published its research since Sunday.
According to the Uber Files, Macron is said to have contributed in 2015, when he was still Minister for Economic Affairs, to the fact that a ban on Uber’s offer in Marseille was massively defused and revised shortly afterwards. The data also documents four of Macron’s meetings with Uber founder Travis Kalanick between 2014 and 2017. Three of these were previously not publicly known.
No reaction from Macron
Macron himself had not responded to the allegation that he had helped Uber enter the French market. The Élysée Palace said Macron had hit many companies because the service market was in a state of upheaval.
This is exactly what parts of the opposition and the French trade union are now demanding of him. “The minimum is that Macron explains and discloses how he a) helped Uber gain a foothold in France and b) undermined labor law through the so-called Macron law to promote this business model,” says Philippe Martinez, General Secretary of the CGT union ARD Studio Paris.
David Guiraud, MP for the Left Party, explains: “It weighs heavily. It remains to be seen whether Macron broke the law – but it is already clear: Macron was the ally of a company that avoided paying taxes by registering its headquarters in the Netherlands to pay less tax in France.”
Ex-EU Commissioner also under suspicion
The publications of the Uber Files also have consequences for the former EU Commissioner for the Digital Agenda and former Vice President of the EU Commission, Neelie Kroes. The Dutchwoman joined Uber’s advisory board in May 2016. Reported annual salary: $200,000.
The confidential documents raise the question of the extent to which Kroes became active for the US group in 2015, i.e. during her waiting period. During an ongoing raid on Uber’s headquarters in Amsterdam, she is said to have called a member of the government and administrative officials to put pressure on her.
Former EU Commissioner Kroes herself is suspected of having worked for Uber while she was still on maternity leave.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
She also tried to meet an EU commissioner and organized meetings with Dutch politicians, including current Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The EU Commission has decided to send a letter to the Dutchwoman to ask for clarification of the facts, said a spokesman for the authority. The information that has just become known is being analyzed and the further course of action will be evaluated on the basis of it. When asked, Kroes had previously replied that he had not worked for the company, either formally or informally.
Lobby control calls for rule reform
In Germany, the Uber Files had revealed, among other things, that the current FDP MP Otto Fricke led the lobbying campaign for Uber, at least in the meantime. Fricke was also previously a member of the Bundestag.
Timo Lange from the non-governmental organization Lobby Control said NDR, WDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ), the case makes it clear that a debate must be held as to whether a waiting period should also apply to members of the Bundestag so that they do not switch directly to lobbying jobs.
The Uber Files also show how the economist Justus Haucap published an Uber-friendly article in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (“FAZ”), which was apparently worth 4,000 euros to the group. The media scientist and journalist Christian Stöcker explained the process: “Should it turn out to be correct that German scientists can place articles in the ‘FAZ’ for four-digit fees, it should be in the interest of the ‘FAZ’ first and foremost to clarify the process. ” This has nothing to do with editorial independence.