歐盟委員會前競爭事務專員加盟優步

Uber, the controversial ride-hailing operator, has recruited a host of senior advisers including former European commissioner Neelie Kroes to help it navigate the many regulatory roadblocks it faces around the world.

有爭議的叫車應用運營商優步(Uber)招募了一批高級顧問，包括曾經擔任歐盟委員會專員的內莉•克勒斯(Neelie Kroes)，以幫助它對付在世界各地面臨的許多監管障礙。

Ms Kroes, a former competition and telecoms regulator, was a vocal proponent for Uber while in office and a well-known critic of efforts to ban the company in countries such as Germany.

克勒斯是歐盟委員會前競爭和電信事務專員，在任期間曾發聲支持優步，且以批評德國等國禁止優步的做法出名。

Ms Kroes is to join a new public policy advisory board to help Uber fight its way through these issues. Its other members range from Ray LaHood, former US transport secretary, to Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud, an advocate for women’s employment and mobility in Saudi Arabia.

克勒斯將加入一個新的公共政策顧問委員會，以幫助優步克服這些問題。其他成員包括美國前運輸部長雷•拉胡德(Ray LaHood)，以及沙特阿拉伯的女性就業及駕車權倡導者瑞瑪•班達爾•沙特公主(Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud)。

In an interview with the Financial Times, she said Uber still had plenty to learn. “Uber needs to communicate in a very different way . . . They have to take into account that there are still differences in culture,” she said. “Don’t think that everybody is attacking you.”

瑞瑪•班達爾•沙特在接受英國《金融時報》採訪時曾表示，優步還有許多地方需要學習。她說：“優步需要徹底改變溝通方式……他們必須考慮到依然存在的文化差異。不要覺得每個人都在攻擊你。”

Uber’s ride-sharing services have run into countless political and regulatory obstacles since it began its rapid expansion three years ago, disrupting traditional taxi services. It has faced bans, the arrest of executives, and civil and criminal lawsuits in multiple countries.

優步自三年前開始快速擴張、擾亂傳統出租車服務以來，其拼車服務遇到了無數政治和監管障礙。它面臨着種種禁令，高管被捕，還在多個國家遭遇民事和刑事官司。

But some countries have started passing laws covering ride-sharing services, gradually helping Uber move out of legal grey areas and gain acceptance.

但是一些國家已開始通過涉及拼車服務的法律，逐步幫助優步走出法律灰色地帶，獲得認可。

“Two years ago there hadn’t been a single new law or regulation passed in the world around ride-sharing,” said David Plouffe, an Uber board adviser who was previously campaign manager for President Barack Obama of the US. “Now there has been a lot of momentum,” he added, pointing to laws passed in the US, Australia, the Philippines and Mexico, among other places.

優步董事會顧問、曾擔任美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)的競選經理的大衛•普勞夫(David Plouffe)表示：“兩年前全世界沒有通過一條新的法律法規是關於拼車的。現在已經有了很大勢頭。”他指出美國、澳大利亞、菲律賓和墨西哥等地紛紛通過了相關法律。

Advisory board members will meet twice a year and be compensated with shares in Uber.

顧問委員會成員每年舉行兩次會議，將獲得優步股票作爲報酬。

In Europe, Ms Kroes’ move may raise questions over the revolving door between governments and companies. Former European Commission officials have to observe an 18-month cooling-off before taking on lobbying roles in areas for which they were responsible.

在歐洲，克勒斯的舉動可能引發有關政府與企業之間存在“旋轉門”的問題。歐盟委員會前任官員必須經過一年半的冷卻期，才能在其原來負責的領域擔任遊說職務。

Ms Kroes, who left Brussels in November 2014, dismissed the concerns. “I strongly believe in such positions, so it makes sense to give advice,” she said.

克勒斯於2014年11月離開布魯塞爾，她對這種擔憂不以爲然，表示：“我堅信這些立場，因此有理由提供建議。”