Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 411 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in March 2025 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
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The Milan Labour Court ruled on 10 September 2018 (Judgment No. 1853) that riders working for Foodinho (a subsidiary of Glovo) are not employees but self-employed workers. This aligned with a similar first instance ruling by the Turin Court in May 2018 regarding Foodora riders (later overturned).
The court decided against Mohamed Adel Naguib Mohamed Elazab, who claimed he was employed by Foodinho as a subordinate worker. Despite his assertion of a full-time schedule and company oversight, the court found that Elazab had considerable autonomy in choosing his work schedule and was not obliged to accept delivery tasks. His compensation was variable, based on deliveries rather than a fixed salary. The court determined that the relationship did not meet the criteria for employment under the Jobs Act, as Elazab's work was not sufficiently controlled by the company. As a result, the court rejected his claim for reclassification as an employee and associated benefits.
The decision was based on an analysis of working conditions, highlighting: * Autonomy in Scheduling: Rider had discretion over when and how much to work. * Lack of Subordination: No fixed work hours or obligation to accept deliveries. * Compensation Based on Deliveries: Variable pay based on deliveries, not fixed salary. * Article 2 of Jobs Act: Not applicable as the rider controlled their work schedule and execution.
However, refusal or non-selection of deliveries affects their "loyalty score," which influences their ability to book preferred slots in the future.
On 7 April 2018, the Employment Tribunal of Turin rejected a claim from six riders of the food delivery platform Foodora who asked to be reclassified as employees. The riders …
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
