Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 411 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in March 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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Spain
Glovo (the Spanish unit of Delivery Hero) has announced that it will hire riders as full-time employees. This shift is intended to mitigate ongoing legal uncertainties and regulatory penalties previously faced by the company. The new model will be rolled out in more than 900 locations in Spain where Glovo operates, the company said, affecting about 15,000 riders, most of whom are currently self-employed.
The change comes after numerous accusations and legal actions directed at Glovo for violating workers' rights and engaging in unfair competitive practices. Specific instances include: - Fines by Spain's Labour Ministry and Inspection totalling 57 million euros in January 2023 and further sanctions in January 2024 for non-compliance with the 'rider' law implemented in August 2021. - A current criminal investigation against Glovo, initiated by a prosecutor's complaint in July, focusing on alleged labour law violations. - A 295 million euro lawsuit filed by Just Eat Spain against Glovo for unfair competition.
Glovo had appealed the fines in court but decided to change its employment model to avoid further legal costs.
The Spanish Labour Minister, Yolanda Diaz, welcomed the decision, stating that "No company, no matter how large it is, no matter how much power it has, no great technology can impose itself on democracy". In 2021, Díaz successfully championed the Riders Law that classified food delivery drivers as employees of the digital platforms they work for, as opposed to self-employed freelancers.
Delivery Hero, Glovo’s parent company, projects an impact of approximately €100 million on adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2025 due to the change. This led to a drop of approximately 10% in the share values. They also revised their provisions for potential liabilities from between €330 million and €550 million to between €440 million and €770 million.
Glovo operates in more than 20 countries, most of them in Europe.
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.
