EU throws support behind 'sharing economy' firms like Uber, Airbnb

By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union executive threw its weight behind the "sharing economy" on Thursday, saying governments should only ban services such as ride-hailing app Uber [UBER.UL] and Airbnb as a last resort. In new guidelines intended to foster development of the new Internet-based services in Europe, the European Commission said any restrictions on them by EU member states should be proportionate to the public interest at stake, such as public safety or social po