French Parliament Commission Says Macron Had Secret Deal With Uber - Reports

French President Emmanuel Macron had a "secret deal" with Uber, which allowed the US company to influence public decisions of the French government, French media reported on Tuesday, citing a report of a parliamentary commission

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2023) French President Emmanuel Macron had a "secret deal" with Uber, which allowed the US company to influence public decisions of the French government, French media reported on Tuesday, citing a report of a parliamentary commission.

The inquiry commission was formed in January specifically to look into Macron's ties with Uber.

"Uber has found allies at the highest levels of government ... the intensity of contact between Uber, Emmanuel Macron and members of his cabinet reveals an opaque but privileged connection and shows the entire inability of our system to assess and prevent the influence of private interests on public decisions," the parliamentary report read, as quoted by Radio France.

Thanks to the "secret deal" with Macron during his tenure as the economy minister from 2014-2016, Uber was able to legally reduce the service's driver training hours from 250 to seven, lawmakers said. They also cited an instance when an Uber employee sent a text to Macron when the company was having its offices inspected by the tax service.

Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann was allegedly involved in financing Macron's presidential campaign, Radio France reported. The politician also invited Uber France chief Thibaud Simphal to dinner to suggest that the businessman finance his election campaign, according to the parliamentary report.

During Macron's presidency, Uber contacted presidential departments at least 34 times between 2018 and 2022. Because of Macron's support for Uber, the service's drivers faced unfavorable working conditions, according to the report's findings cited by Radio France.

In July, 2022, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) unveiled information proving links between Macron and Uber. In 2015, Macron, who then served as French economy minister, promised to help the company in lifting the suspension on its service imposed by Marseilles police. An Uber lobbyist contacted Macron, who pledged to personally look into the matter, ICJI revealed. French newspaper Le Monde reported that Uber and Macron struck a "secret deal" at the time.