Transport minister says ‘vindicated’ over Uber verdict
Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis said on Wednesday that he felt “totally vindicated” regarding his stance on ride-hailing service Uber after the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled that it should be regulated like a taxi company and not a technology service.
Spirtzis came in for criticism a few weeks ago when the Transport Ministry submitted a bill to Parliament that appeared to place obstacles in the path of Uber and other similar applications, such as Greece’s Beat.
One of the bill’s provisions was that companies would have to sign three-year contracts with taxi drivers. It also stipulated that they would need to obtain an operating permit.
The EU court’s decision applies to ride-hailing services around the EU but leaves it to national governments to decide how and whether to change the way they are regulated.
Spirtzis told journalists to ask New Democracy, which had criticized the ministry’s bill, for its comments on the verdict. “This is evidence of who wants Greece to be a European country that respects European institutions,” he said.
