How so? How will that impact METRO as a wholesaler?
When it comes to the race for digital transformation, we want to achieve global success for our 20 million customers from the hospitality industry. More than half of those millions of small and micro-enterprises have not digitised their businesses yet. Aside from our responsibility to our customers, we see a political responsibility in this regard: we want to influence the shape of the new economy, digital legislation and consumer rights on behalf of our customers. We want to protect the future of pubs, restaurants and family-run hotels in our cities, towns and villages. They are the guardians of our cultural diversity – our cultural heritage, even.
What I really want is a parliament that listens to us. I want MEPs to take a European approach, think beyond their own regional interests and take their responsibility of reconciling the interests of all parties seriously.
Maria Heider, Director Public Policy Europe at METRO
What demands can the retail and wholesale industry place on the European Parliament, e.g. in terms of legislation and influence on EU policy?
Things will not get easier. The elections have yielded an incredibly fragmented parliament, and I am genuinely worried about how we will achieve any objectively sensible, balanced results in future legislative processes. What I really want is a parliament that listens to us. I want MEPs to take a European approach, think beyond their own regional interests and take their responsibility of reconciling the interests of all parties seriously. Different perspectives and opinions are completely acceptable. They are vital to the survival of any democracy. But we need respectful interaction of equals. Objective discourse with valid arguments. I wish we could all be more respectful in the way we interact with each other, the way we use language at all levels of our societies. But that is another issue altogether.
About ... Maria Heider
Maria Heider joined METRO AG in 2015 as Director of Public Policy Europe. She manages our office in Brussels. Recently, Maria took also over the responsibility for our Berlin office and our German policy. Maria has many years of experience in the Federal Ministry of Finance, the German Parliament and the European Commission. To the website METRO_Politics