BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Amazon.com lobbyists have been banned from the European Parliament at the request of the parliament’s employment committee, a spokesperson said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report by news outlet Politico.
“The Quaestors have authorised the Secretary-General to withdraw the long-term access badges of the interest representatives of Amazon”, she said, adding that withdrawing access to parliament is a rare event.
An EU source said the committee had requested Amazon’s participation in public hearings but that the American tech company had declined several times.
Amazon had 14 staff in Brussels with entry badges to the European Parliament.
“We are very disappointed with this decision, as we want to engage constructively with policymakers”, a spokesperson for Amazon said, adding that it had invited policymakers to visit their facilities on several occasions.
A requested visit to Amazon’s German plant in December did not go ahead as “this is the busiest time of year for our business”.
(Reporting by Yun Chee Foo, Charlotte Van CampenhoutEditing by Nick Zieminski)
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