2023-05-11 17:29:50
“We did not give in to these pressures, quite the contrary. » Manuel Valls was Minister of the Interior (2012-2014) then Prime Minister from 2012 to 2016, when Uber burst into France. Asked by the parliamentary inquiry into the “Uber Files”Thursday, May 11, the former socialist defended the action of his government against an American company ready to do anything to force its development in the country, just like his former colleagues in the government Bernard Cazeneuve (Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016) and Alain Vidalies (Secretary of State responsible for transport from 2014 to 2017).
Losing billions of dollars, defying the law, sowing chaos… The “Uber Files” survey, published in 2022 by The world and its partners in the international consortium of journalists ICIJ, revealed the extent of the bad practices of the company of transport cars with driver (VTC), on the basis of internal documents transmitted to the British daily The Guardian by Mark MacGann, the platform’s former chief lobbyist in Europe.
In France, Uber was able to count on the support of Emmanuel Macron, Minister of the Economy from 2014 to 2016, considered at the time by the company as its best ally in the country. But the former socialist ministers believe that this liberal line did not prevail, believing on the contrary to have rather brought the platform into line.
No “deal” validated by the government
A key point of the “Uber Files” revelations was widely discussed by the three ministers: the nature of the relationship between Bercy and the company. The world and his partners had revealed that the former economy minister and Uber had negotiated, without the knowledge of the rest of the government, a two-step battle plan: Uber was ending its illegal UberPop private driver service and, in Exchange, Mr. Macron supported a simplification of the conditions of access to the profession of VTC. The “Uber Files” revealed in particular the existence of an SMS in which Mr. Macron assured Travis Kalanick, the boss of Uber, that Bernard Cazeneuve, at the time on the front line against the company, had “accepted the deal”.
To deputies, the former interior minister categorically denied having accepted, or even been aware of, any such negotiations with Uber. “There is no ‘deal’ to be had with actors who, on the grounds that they were financially powerful, felt they could place themselves above the law”he argued. “I never heard of a ‘deal’ in 2015added Manuel Valls. I wouldn’t have accepted it. It must be remembered that the breaches of public order with physical attacks were numerous and serious. (…) We could not accept completely unfair and illegal competition. »
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