Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 412 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in May 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.
Search
The database currently contains 412 entries and was last updated in May 2025.
Tag
Active
Spain
The Basque Parliament passed a resolution calling for increased scrutiny over Glovo's compliance with labour rights and court rulings, emphasising the need for correct worker classification and exploring cooperative models. Accordign tto the resolution, Glovo is ‘fleeing from its responsibility towards workers’ and has called on the Labour Authority to step up its efforts to ‘correct the regularisation of the contractual situation of workers in the delivery sector’. The resolution was supported by a majority of parties, including the ruling PNV and PSE-EE, as well as the opposition EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos-IU.
In response to action from political parties (PNV, PSE-EE, EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos-IU) approving an extensive resolution against this violation, the State and regional Labour Authority has announced they are ensuring the correct ‘regularisation’ of contractual obligations for platform workers. This will involve investigating employment terms and conditions of platform workers. This includes whether workers have been registered for social security and are not categorised as (bogus) self-employed, that vacations and rest periods are observed and that rights for collective organising are being upheld.
This resolution is a further attempt to stop Glovo from refusing to employ its riders. In 2020, despite the passing of the 'Rider Law' in the Spanish Parliament (which established a legal presumption of employment in the sector), Glovo has continued to take a combative approach to the regulation (See more here). The government has announced it will continue this campaign to detect bogus self-employment and monitor the violation of labour rights. This campaign will extend to the General Treasury of Social Security, ensuring that those platform workers who have been paying social security contributions equal to that of an autonomous self-employed individual will receive fee refunds.
The political party responsible for labour and employment has stated that 16000 employment relationships have been re-categorised and ‘regularised’, recognising the subordinate relation of an employer and employee. The Trade Union LAB has announced it is undertaking collective action against Glovo to present a legal initiative which guarantees the labour rights of platform workers under the hospitality collective agreement.
Glovo is a Spanish headquartered food delivery company owned by German multi-national Delivery Hero.
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.
