Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 386 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in February 2024 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 database currently contains 386 entries and was last updated in February 2024.
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Spain
In 2017, the Catalan government published a Code of Good Practices for the platform economy, fulfilling a goal established in the Government Agreement of April 2016. The code aims to establish fair rules for all parties involved in work and consumption through digital platforms. The Code begins with a detailed definition of all parties involved (platform, user, consumer, bidder, professional etc.) and sets to create an ‘environment of trust in which all agents involved in relationships conducted through a digital platform (…)’ can avail of stable and secure rules’. It also defines three principles or ‘commitments’ which should be made by platforms:
Loyalty and transparency. Platforms must be committed to loyal behaviour towards their customers, which includes the transparent, accessible and clear provision of information concerning the operations and rules of the platforms.
Complete information. Information on the trade name, company name, physical address, terms and conditions of usage, the products sold, exchanged or shared as well as on providers of the goods or services (professional or lay people) must be clearly visible and accessible.
Collaboration with public authorities in Catalonia. Platforms must enter in dialogue with public administrations in Catalonia to facilitate collaboration agreements or the similar initiatives. This also concerns collaboration in tax collection and the collection and provision of data.
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.
