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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Italy
In November 2020, three of Italy's main transport trade unions, including the Italian Federation of Transport Workers (Federazione Italiana Lavoratori Trasporti CGIL, FILT CGIL), the Italian Transport Federation CGIL (Federazione Italiana Trasporti, FIT CISL) and Uiltransport (the trade federation of the UIL protecting workers in the transport sector) have signed a protocol with sector employers' associations to apply the national logistics contract (Ccnl) to all delivery riders, including those working for digital platforms. The unions aim to counteract what they term a "sham" contract signed by the Ugl union with Assodelivery. They have submitted their proposed protocol to the Ministry of Labour, arguing it provides genuine rights and protections for a vulnerable and previously under-protected category of workers.
The key provisions of the proposed logistics contract include a guaranteed minimum wage and working hours, the abolition of piecework, thirteenth and fourteenth-month salaries (common bonuses in Italy), severance pay (TFR), supplementary pay for sickness and injury, maternity and paternity leave, holidays, and union rights. It also covers expense reimbursements for using a personal vehicle, personal protective equipment (PPE), and opens the door for second-level (company-specific) bargaining.
The Ugl-Assodelivery agreement, which came into effect on 3rd November, establishes a minimum compensation of €10 per hour worked, with bonuses of 10-20% for night work, public holidays, or bad weather. It also includes provisions for safety equipment, insurance cover, and training.
In contrast, the national logistics contract, which was updated in December 2018 to include gig economy riders, classifies them as "travelling personnel." It guarantees the full range of protections typical of direct employment. This includes a flexible working week of 39 hours, distributable over a maximum of six days, with daily shifts ranging from two to eight hours. Employers are also required to provide PPE such as helmets and high-visibility vests.
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.
