Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 281 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in December 2022 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 281 entries and was last updated in December 2022.
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Estonia
In 2017, the Estonian Parliament amended the Public Transportation Act (entry into force 1 November 2017) to regulate platform-based transportation services and define their position compared to established and regulated taxi services. With this amendment, it is no longer necessary for taxi drivers to have any professional training. Instead, the taxi and rideshare businesses are responsible for arranging necessary instruction. Additionally, the amendment no longer requires taxis to have a taximeter. For platform-based transportation services, the ride is ordered and the price is calculated online, allowing the client to reject the ride if it is deemed too expensive. When clients are retrieved at a taxi stand or from the curb, the vehicle is still obliged to have a meter and must adhere to price limits that are set by local governments, whereas this price limit will not be applied to platform-based services.
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.
