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
The Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) upheld a 2022 ruling by the Turin court of appeal with a new ruling Sentenza n. 28772/2025, establishing that food delivery riders must be classified as "collaboratori etero-organizzati" (externally organised collaborators). This classification subjects them to protections and rules of subordinate employment, despite their formal contractual autonomy. The dispute centred on whether platforms’ organisational control over tasks and performance justified reclassifying riders as employees. The Court rejected the companies’ argument that owning personal tools (e.g., bikes) alone justified independent contractor status.
Defendant’s claims
The companies argued that riders’ use of personal bikes and lack of exclusivity (e.g., working for multiple platforms) supported independent contractor status.
The Court For employment status (as "collaboratori etero-organizzati"), applying the rules of subordinate labour..
Motivation for ruling
The ruling anticipates Italy’s transposition of the EU Platform Work Directive (2024/2831), which introduces a presumption of subordination for platform workers. IN addition, this sentence indicates a shift in judicial reasoning, with the Court prioritising the organisational control of platforms over formal contractual labels (e.g., "independent contractor").
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.
