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.
Fairbnb is a platform for short-term holiday rentals that aims at establishing a sustainable model of tourism. Similar to other platforms, it charges a commission for every booking. However, only 50% of this commission is used for platform maintenance while the rest of the funds are used to finance a project of (the customer’s) choice in the area that is being visited. In this way, the platform aims to make sure that the profits are benefiting the local community (in this context, it is referring to ‘community powered tourism’).
The platform was invented by a group of activists, coders, researchers and designers. It is collectively owned by users and affected parties (hosts, guests, locals and local business owners). As a cooperative, it is governed through a democratic decision-making processes determining how the platform will be run in the respective neighbourhood. Fairbnb also cooperates with local governments to promote regulations that encourage sustainable tourism.
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.
Non-EU
EU 27