Blow to Uber in Europe as top court rules it’s a transport service
Europe’s top court has provided the final verdict on a multi-years legal challenge brought by EU tax associations to Uber’s claim that it’s just a technology platform — with the CJEU today ruling it’s a transport service.
The judgement means Uber must comply with individual Member States’ transportation regulations, rather than seeking to circumvent such rules.
In its ruling the court writes that Uber’s “intermediation service… the purpose of which is to connect, by means of a smartphone application and for remuneration, non-professional drivers using their own vehicle with persons who wish to make urban journeys, must be regarded as being inherently linked to a transport service and, accordingly, must be classified as ‘a service in the field of transport’ within the meaning of EU law”.
“Consequently, such a service must be excluded from the scope of the freedom to provide services in general as well as the directive on services in the internal market and the directive on electronic commerce. It follows that, as EU law currently stands, it is for the Member States to regulate the conditions under which such services are to be provided in conformity with the general rules of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU,” it adds.
Responding to the court’s verdict, an Uber spokesperson emailed this statement: “This ruling will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law. However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours. As our new CEO has said, it is appropriate to regulate services such as Uber and so we will continue the dialogue with cities across Europe. This is the approach we’ll take to ensure everyone can get a reliable ride at the tap of a button.”
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Published at Wed, 20 Dec 2017 09:08:50 +0000
