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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Spain
Madrid Court of Appeal (Tribunal Superior de Justicia) recognised the employment relationship of 69 migrants who did not have the relevant work permit but had a residence permit. It is the thirteenth judgment of a Superior Court in which the existence of an employment relationship is determined. UGT (General Workers’ Confederation, Unión General de Trabajadores) considers that Glovo cannot continue to conceal this labour fraud and urges the government not to allow this company to continue violating the law and even ignore the judgment of the Supreme Court in this regard.
The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the workers, given (among others) the following reasons: * Dependency and Lack of Autonomy: Couriers' work schedules and earnings were controlled by Glovo's algorithm, limiting independence. * Economic Structure: Couriers did not negotiate prices; Glovo set rates and controlled payment processes. * Control and Supervision: Continuous geolocation tracking and performance evaluations through customer ratings indicated a high level of control. * Lack of Entrepreneurial Risk: Glovo's control over key business decisions and client relationships suggested couriers were not true independent contractors.
Finally, this ruling aligns with the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling (Judgement N. 805/2020)
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.
