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Article snippet: LONDON — Uber suffered a blow to its expansion plans in Europe on Tuesday after a senior adviser to the region’s highest court said that the ride-hailing service should have to abide by tough European rules governing taxi services. The recommendation, a nonbinding opinion by an advocate general for the Court of Justice of the European Union, comes as Uber faces an array of issues worldwide. This year, the company has faced a sexual harassment scandal, allegations it tried to evade local law enforcement, and in June the resignation of its chief executive, Travis Kalanick. The case before the court hinged on whether Uber should be treated as a taxi service, and therefore subject to rigorous safety and employment rules, or as a digital platform that merely connected independent drivers with potential passengers. The French authorities brought criminal proceedings last year against Uber for infringing a law that required any vehicle carrying passengers for a fee to be licensed as a taxi service and have appropriate insurance. Maciej Szpunar, an advocate general of the court, ruled on Tuesday that France could prohibit certain types of transport services it deemed illegal, including Uber’s low-cost service UberPop, without having to notify the European Commission. He pointed to his earlier recommendation in a case related to Uber in Spain, which said UberPop was a transport service. Uber had argued that the law was also a “technical regulation” over digital services. ... Link to the full article to read more