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.
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A driver (Mr F.) asked for his contractual relationship with Uber BV to be reclassified as an employment contract, after Uber deactivated his account. The Paris Court of Appeal (10 January 2019) had agreed, finding that his status as “independent” was fictitious. Uber France and Uber BV appealed.
The Cour de cassation upheld the appeal court’s decision, confirming the existence of an employment contract. It found that:
The driver did not build his own clientele, nor set prices or conditions of work; these were entirely controlled by Uber.
Connection to the platform placed the driver in a service fully organised by Uber.
Tariffs were fixed algorithmically, with Uber able to adjust fares if routes were deemed “inefficient.”
The platform monitored performance through geolocation, acceptance/refusal rates, and passenger ratings.
Uber had disciplinary powers, including temporary or permanent disconnections and sanctions linked to cancellations or complaints.
The Court concluded that Uber exercised the powers of direction, control, and sanction – the hallmarks of legal subordination – meaning the partnership agreement was in fact an employment contract.
Uber’s appeal was rejected, and it was ordered to pay €3,000 in costs to the driver.
In June 2018, following the deactivation of his account, an ex-Uber driver argued that his relationship with Uber was effectively one of an employee, not an independent contractor. He claimed …
On 12 May 2021, the Paris Court of Appeal overturned a lower court's decision, ruling that the service agreement between an Uber driver (Mr M.) and the Dutch subsidiary Uber …
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.
