Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 400 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in December 2024 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 400 entries and was last updated in December 2024.
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Spain
On 4 February 2021, the Social Court number 4 of Oviedo held the first macro trial against Glovo in Asturias, with 150 delivery drivers affected. As reported by a UGT’s press release, the case has been opened ex officio by the Social Security Treasury, following an action by the Labour Inspectorate that qualifies the employment relationship of these delivery drivers, from October 2017 to June 2018. The delivery riders were hired as self-employed, without being registered in the general social security system. However, the Social Security department and the UGT consider that these riders are false self-employed and are entitled to social rights. In other cities in Spain, macro-trials have already been held against Glovo, in Madrid and Zaragoza. There are also trials against Deliveroo, in Madrid and Barcelona.
In January 2021, the Social Court No. 24 of Barcelona has ruled that Deliveroo will have to register its 741 food delivery couriers working in Barcelona with social contributions and …
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.
