A top Uber executive has warned that Brussels’ proposals to designate gig workers as de facto employees will force its ride-hailing service to shut down in hundreds of cities across the bloc and raise prices by as much as 40 per cent if enacted.

Anabel Díaz, head of Uber’s mobility division in Europe, urged lawmakers debating the EU’s Platform Work Directive this week to approve rules that preserve what she described as self-employed workers’ desire for flexibility.

“If Brussels forces Uber to reclassify drivers and couriers across the EU, we could expect to see a 50-70 per cent reduction in the number of work opportunities,” Díaz said. This would cause Uber to cease operating in “hundreds” of the 3,000 cities across the EU that it serves today, she added.