Amazon lobbyists can no longer enter the European Parliament.
This was decided by the European Chamber, reports the Belgian agency, at the request of the parliamentarians of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (Empl), after the repeated refusals of the American high-tech giant to participate in a hearing on working conditions of its employees in the EU.
Late last year the company also canceled a planned visit by MEPs to its offices in Germany and Poland.
After a letter from Empl to the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, the Conference of Presidents of the Parliament decided to refer the decision on the credentials of Amazon representatives to the dedicated body, which therefore removed their possibility of accessing the European Chamber buildings.
"The EU decision-making process is not for sale - comments the secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation Esther Lynch in a note -. We congratulate the European Parliament and the College of Quaestors for having taken a stand in favor of democracy. Amazon refuses to answer to the EU Parliament, and it is right that his access should be removed. We demand that this decision applies to all Amazon lobbyists, including its consultants. This must mark the start of a long overdue process. Currently, it is convenient that companies invest in changing EU laws in their favor - continued Lynch -. Brussels has the largest number of corporate lobbyists of any city in Europe, second only to Washington on a global level. Institutional access should instead be reserved for democratic and representative organizations".
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