Spain’s government on Tuesday passed a new law allowing regions to restrict ride-sharing platforms such as Uber and Bolt after a European court ruled in their favor in a lawsuit against Barcelona authorities, Reuters reported.
Associations representing drivers who work for these companies, as well as local competitors to Cabify, have already announced that they will challenge the decision in Brussels and ask the European Commission to open legal proceedings against Spain.
“We regret that the intent is to impose restrictions on businesses rather than to ensure the right of users to benefit from quality services,” Bolt said in a press release.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet passed a decree on Tuesday that allows regional authorities to force company drivers to meet additional criteria to work in certain areas, Economy Minister Nadia Calvino announced.
However, the decree stipulates that these criteria, in turn, must be justified by considerations that may relate to the protection of the environment, road safety or the interests of “services of public interest” such as traditional taxi companies.
The Spanish government insists it is not breaking European law with new restrictions on ride-sharing platforms
The latter point, however, contradicts a recent decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which overturned the restrictions imposed in Barcelona, accused Feneval and Unauto, two associations representing drivers and fleet owners.
A ruling published on June 8 by the European Court of Justice found that restrictions imposed by Barcelona authorities to reduce the number of cars that privately transport passengers via mobile platforms violate EU law because they discriminate against service providers.
Spain’s transport ministry, however, says the new legislation respects the court’s ruling, insisting that protecting taxi drivers is in the interest of the general public.
The introduction of the restrictions in Barcelona at the end of last year forced many drivers out of business, who welcomed the ECJ ruling as legitimizing them as public transport operators.
Pedro Sánchez’s government passed the new decree less than a month before early parliamentary elections scheduled for July 23 after a landslide defeat in regional elections in late May.
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Source: Hot News
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