Ref. Ares(2022)1661590 - 07/03/2022
From:
Sent:
lundi 10 mai 2021 16:40
To:
PEREIRA Ana Carla (CAB-SCHMIT); OLSSON Stefan (EMPL);
Cc:
Subject:
FLASH REPORT – Meeting between Cmssr SCHMIT and Dara
KHOSROVSHAHI, CEO of UBER – 26/04/2021
Dear all,
Please find below a flash report on the meeting between Cmssr SCHMIT and Uber’s CEO, which took
place on 26 April.
Best,
FLASH REPORT – Meeting between Cmssr SCHMIT and Dara KHOSROVSHAHI, CEO of UBER –
26/04/2021
Participants:
European Commission
Nicholas SCHMIT, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights
Antoine KASEL, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner SCHMIT
Santina BERTULESSI, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner SCHMIT
Ana Carla PEREIRA, Employment and Social Adviser to Commissioner SCHMIT
Anouk FABER, Political Adviser to Commissioner SCHMIT
Uber Technologies Inc.
Dara KHOSROVSHAHI, CEO
Andrew BYRNE, Global Head of Public Policy
Zuzana PUCIKOVA, Head of EU Public Policy
Main takeaways:
Cmssr SCHMIT said that COM is favourable to the platform economy, its development and
benefits brought to jobs, the economy and consumers who appreciate the services.
Cmssr SCHMIT pointed out that the social and legal environment within which the platform
economy is developing ought to be addressed, to make sure that it follows a path that is
sustainable for workers, platforms and society at large.
Cmssr SCHMIT thanked Dara KHOSROVSHAHI for sharing Uber’s White Paper and acknowledged
its contribution to the debate.
Cmssr SCHMIT then asked Dara KHOSROVSHAHI for his views on the employment status and
algorithmic management, referring to the extensive number (100+) of court cases concerning
platform work in Europe.
Dara KHOSROVSHAHI stressed that social issues in the platform economy ought to be tackled
through dialogue. He underlined that Uber wants to pursue a policy framework enabling both
flexibility and protection.
Dara KHOSROVSHAHI said Europe is an incredibly important market for Uber and that platforms
can and should be part of the post-Covid economic recovery picture. According to Uber’s
internal figures, 40% of UberEats couriers use the platform to compensate income losses due to
the pandemic.
Going forward, Uber aims at legal clarity, policy consistency and a level-playing field between
platforms. From their viewpoint, job flexibility should not come at the expense of social
protection, and vice versa, although there are trade-offs between the two that ought to be
assessed through dialogue.
Dara KHOSROVSHAHI asked how EU Member State are approaching the EU initiative and how
do they see their own role in the process.
Cmssr SCHMIT explained that indeed creating a level-playing field between different companies
and businesses is among the objectives of the EU initiative, including in the domain of social
policy. In this regard, Member States have ample freedom to set their own rules but there
should be a minimum floor of EU standards.
Cmssr SCHMIT finally asked Dara KHOSROVSHAHI whether the UK Supreme Court ruling came as
a surprise and whether it will substantially impact Uber’s business model.
Dara KHOSROVSHAHI said the ruling was indeed surprising but that the UK’s third category
status of ‘worker’ allows for both flexibility and social protection. However, the ruling only
concerned Uber, which means they are now disadvantaged vis-à-vis other platform players.