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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Spain
The judgment of the Employment Court No. 1 of Pamplona has ruled that between the digital labour platform Glovo and its delivery riders there is an employment relationship, and that the drivers are not self-employed workers, as stated by the company.
The riders argued that Glovo exercises control over their work through a rating system, which affects their ability to select hours and earn a living. Additionally, the riders claimed that Glovo's system of assigning tasks and monitoring performance in real-time is an example of controlling, where algorithms ensure objectives are met and activities comply with standards.
The lawsuit was filed by 206 Glovo delivery workers and the trade union confederation CCOO.
Motivation for ruling in favour of employee status:**
Control and supervision: Glovo exercises real-time control through its platform.
Limited autonomy: Riders' freedom is mostly theoretical, with real restrictions in practice.
Employer sanctions: Ability to penalise riders for performance issues.
Dependency and organisation: Work is organised and controlled by Glovo, not independent.
Non-exclusivity not proven: No significant evidence of riders working for other companies in a similar capacity.
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.
