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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Portugal
The Portuguese government introduced a law to regulate ride-hailing platforms, establishing rules for their operation, licensing, and supervision. The law regulating the transport sector (Lei no. 45/2018 – Electronic Platforms for Passenger Transport Services Law) establishes the legal framework for individual and paid passenger transport in vehicles using digital platforms (TVDE), and for the digital platforms that organise and provide this service.
Key points:
TVDE operators must be registered and licensed by the Mobility and Transport Institute (IMT). Platforms can only facilitate bookings, not directly employ drivers.
Drivers must have contracts with licensed TVDE operators (third party), which in turn has a contract with the platform. This third party must be a business (it cannot be a natural person). If drivers want to work for the platform, they either must establish their own business and set up the relationship in that way or they need to join an existing business that already has a contract with the platform. Drivers can thus be self-employed or employees of this third party. The law applies labour protections based on Portugal’s Labour Code.
Only registered drivers can provide services. They must meet training and background check requirements. Vehicles cannot pick up passengers from the street.
Platforms must ensure accessibility for disabled passengers and prevent discrimination. Drivers can refuse service only in specific cases (e.g., unsafe conditions).
Operators must follow safety, labour, and social security laws. The IMT can suspend non-compliant services.
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.
