Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 443 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in November 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 database currently contains 443 entries and was last updated in November 2025.
Between 2022 and 2025, the European Commission launched and concluded a major antitrust investigation into food delivery firms Delivery Hero and Glovo. The inquiry focused on suspected cartel behaviour across the European Economic Area (EEA), including market division, information sharing, and labour-related collusion. On 2 June 2025, the Commissi…
On November 11th 2024, the new EU directive 2024/2831 on improving working conditions in platform work was published in the Official Journal of the EU. It ented into force on 1 December 2024 and must be implemented into national law by 2 December 2026 at the latest.
The key objectives of the directive are: 1) Clarification of platform workers' emp…
In June 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted the Directive 2019/1152 on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions, a direct follow-up to the roll-out of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The directive will focus on addressing the insufficient protection for workers in precarious work, limiting burdens on employers, and p…
27 records found
| Date | Title | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2025 | Upwork rolls out AI agent and updates its global TOS
Initiative | Online negotiated |
|
| 1 December 2022 | Automatic Exchange of Information on Traders on Online Platforms
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 6 January 2022 | Fairbnb (Cooperative)
Cooperative | On-location negotiated |
|
| 12 October 2021 | Transnational Federation of Couriers
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 22 March 2021 | EU taxation rules to strengthen administrative cooperation and include sales through digital platforms
Legislation | No platform work typology |
|
| 11 March 2021 | Industry Sharing Safety Programme of Uber and Lyft
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 1 February 2021 | The EU Observatory on the Online Platform Economy
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 22 January 2021 | YouTubers Union
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Uber Community Guidelines
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 22 January 2021 | AXA insurance and Uber
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Transnational Federation of Couriers
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 22 January 2021 | FairTube
Initiative | |
|
| 22 January 2021 | European Council – regulation on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online platforms
Legislation | No platform work typology |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Regulation on European Crowdfunding Service Providers for Business
Legislation | No platform work typology |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Fairwork Foundation
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | WageIndicator Foundation on Platform Economy
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | The Internet of Ownership – Directory
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | Sharing Cities Alliance
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | Declaration of Sharing Cities
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | European Agenda for the collaborative economy
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 21 January 2021 | digitalplatformobservatory.org
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 3 December 2020 | EU court ruling delivers win for ride-hailing apps
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 22 September 2020 | ECJ Ruling: Directive 2006/123/EC Supports Prior Authorisation for Short-Term Lets
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 22 April 2020 | ECJ Case C-692/19- Interpretation of worker status
Court ruling | |
|
| 19 December 2019 | ECJ Case C-390/18 - Airbnb
Court ruling | |
|
| 20 December 2017 | CJEU: Uber operates in the field of transport
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 20 December 2017 | European Court of Justice ruled Uber provides taxi services
Court ruling | On-location determined |
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.
