Amazon lobbyists are banned from the European Parliament
Amazon lobbyists should be banned from the European Parliament after a number of MEPs called for action.
The MEPs stated that Amazon does not cooperate with parliament on working conditions and the rights of its employees.
This comes at a time when Amazon and other tech giants such as Microsoft are facing additional scrutiny from the EU over their business practices.
Since 2013, 18.8 million euros have been spent on lobbying
Amazon has faced mounting criticism over working conditions at its European facilities and its unfriendly approach to unionization. Since 2021, the e-commerce giant has failed to attend three meetings with the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, missing the most recent meeting due to “short notice,” according to a letter from the committee to Robert Metsola, the chairman of the EU parliament.
“It is unreasonable for members to be lobbied by Amazon while at the same time being denied the right to represent the interests of European citizens and to inquire about claims of violations of fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Treaties and EU labor laws,” the letter said. .
Commenting on the decision, Amazon said: “We are very disappointed with this decision as we want to work constructively with policymakers. As a company that has been active in the EU for more than 25 years and now has more than 150,000 permanent employees here, we take our engagement with policymakers in Brussels and across Europe very seriously.”
According to the non-profit research group Corporate Europe Observatory, Amazon has spent around €18.8 million on lobbying campaigns at EU institutions since 2013. “Amazon’s anti-democratic behavior will not be tolerated,” Oliver Roethig, regional secretary of European trade union group UNI Europa, said in response to the ban.
Through FT