Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 452 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 2026 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 452 entries and was last updated in February 2026.
The German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) is currently evaluating a legal requirement for direct employment in the food delivery sector. This proposal would effectively ban the use of subcontractors and intermediaries, compelling digital platforms to hire delivery riders directly as employees. The initiative follows reports o…
The Act on the Modernisation and Digitalization of the Combat against Undeclared Work and Unlawful Employment (SchwarzArbMoDiG) formally integrates the platform economy into the German framework for combating illegal employment by amending Section 2a (1) of the Combat against Undeclared Work and Unlawful Employment Act (SchwarzArbG).
The purpose o…
On 23 October 2025, employees of the food delivery service Lieferando went on strike in Berlin, Germany. The strike, called by the NGG union (Food, Beverages and Catering Union), was organised to demand a collective agreement that guarantees secure jobs and incomes. The striking workers received a message of support from Germany's Federal Minister…
Lieferando, the German branch of the group Just Eat Takeaway, has announced the dismissal of 2000 permanent employees, corresponding to 20 percent of its total German workforce. The dismissals are a result of the company's decision to partially abandon its direct employment model and move towards a freelancing model.
This change comes shortly aft…
In June 2025, the Berlin Labour Court ruled in favour of Wolt in a dispute concerning the employment status of former courier who had sued Wolt for three months' unpaid wages. The courier, who was originally directly employed by Wolt, had been pressured to join the "Wolt Fleet", a subcontracting system that allows Wolt to avoid employer obligation…
A collective of workers have organized a ‘payday’ fund to support workers in Berlin who are in wage arrears and/or experiencing wage theft from their employer. Currently focused on platform workers of platform operators in the on-demand food delivery service, the branch in Berlin is being set up as a fund which can support workers faster than any …
The Platform Cooperatives Germany project offers consultation and individual services for digital cooperatives. It was launched in 2020 and received funding through the Innovation Program for Business Models and Pioneering Solutions (IGP) by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. It is being managed by the K8 Institute for strategic …
On 26 March 2021, the German Bundestag passed the controversial amendment to the Passenger Transport Act. The amendment for the first time provides an explicit legal framework that allows digital passenger transport service providers, such as Uber or Free Now, to operate in cities and rural areas. The amendment is intended to make rural areas more…
Liefern am Limit was founded in early 2018 and is the first works council that Deliveroo workers had created in Cologne, Germany. In August 2019, Deliveroo ceased its operation in Germany, but Liefern am Limit remains and continues to protect food delivery workers in Germany.
Scope of the initiative Interest in the initiative was widespread. Both …
Landmark decision by German Federal Court in favour of employment status of platform workers.
A platform worker sued Roamler, a Dutch-based operator of an internet platform and app, for which he used to work in Munich. Roamler facilitates "micro-jobs," such as checking product displays in shops and petrol stations for brand manufacturers, mystery …
27 records found
| Date | Title | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2026 | Germany: Federal Labour Court (BAG) Rulings
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 1 June 2022 | Flink Workers' Collective
Initiative | On-location determined |
Tag Updated |
| 23 November 2021 | Court judgement on working conditions (Lieferando)
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 23 November 2021 | Union of Founders and Self-employed Germany (Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland, VGSD)
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Tricargo Collective
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Fulmo Collective
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Cat Courier Collective
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Crow Cycle Courier Collective
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Courier Collective Khora
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Courier Collective Fahrwerk
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Gorillas Workers Collective
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Establishment of works councils by riders for Foodora and Lieferando
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 27 October 2021 | Deliver Union Campaign, FAU Berlin
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 14 October 2021 | Velogista
Cooperative | On-location determined |
|
| 1 February 2021 | Tax control on Airbnb in Hamburg, Germany
Administrative action | On-location negotiated |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Works Council Deliveroo Cologne, Germany
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Ver.di
Initiative | |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Deutscher Crowdsourcing Verband (DCV) (German Crowdsourcing Association).
Initiative | |
|
| 22 January 2021 | FairCrowdWork
Initiative | No platform work typology |
|
| 22 January 2021 | FairTube
Initiative | |
|
| 22 January 2021 | Crowdsourcing Code of Conduct
Initiative | |
|
| 21 January 2021 | CoopCycle
Initiative | On-location determined |
|
| 21 January 2021 | Ombuds Office
Initiative | |
|
| 8 June 2016 | Frankfurt Court Upholds Ban on UberPop for Legal Violations
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 23 December 2015 | Court ruling in Hamburg: MyTaxi discounts not anti-competitive
Court ruling | On-location determined |
|
| 11 December 2015 | Berlin Court of Appeal: Uber Black violates the Passenger Transportation Act
Court ruling | On-location determined |
Tag Updated |
| 11 December 2015 | German Courts Rule UberBlack Model Violates Competition Law
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.
