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.
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Germany
On 28 January 2026, the German Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) issued three landmark decisions (Ref. 7 ABR 23/24, 7 ABR 26/24, and 7 ABR 40/24) regarding the eligibility of delivery zones to elect works councils. The rulings concerned an international food delivery service operating with a 'hub and spoke' model. The company differentiates between 'hub cities', which contain administrative staff and local management, and 'remote cities', which serve as delivery areas for couriers managed via a digital application.
In 2022 and 2023, separate works councils were elected in several remote cities. The employer challenged these elections, arguing that the remote cities did not constitute independent establishments or autonomous parts of establishments within the meaning of the German Works Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (BetrVG)). The German regional labour courts ruled in favour of the employer and declared the elections void. The works councils’ appeals on points of law to the BAG were unsuccessful. The court ruled that 'remote cities' do not meet the criteria for an 'independent operation'. Managing delivery drivers via an app and grouping them into geographical zones with a shared roster does not substitute for a local management structure. The existence of a shared interest among drivers in a specific location is insufficient to establish the legal status of an independent operation. The BAG maintains that traditional definitions of 'establishment' apply to digitalised work without modification. Consequently, couriers in 'remote cities' without local management cannot elect separate works councils. They are instead considered part of the central operation or the nearest 'hub city' for the purposes of collective representation. This ruling prevents the 'atomisation' of co-determination by ensuring that works councils are only formed at levels where management has the actual authority to negotiate and implement decisions
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.
