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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France
On 10 January 2019, the Paris Court of Appeal reclassified the partnership contract between an Uber driver (Mr. Z) and the Uber platform as an employment contract. The court found that a subordinate relationship existed, meaning Uber exercised control similar to that of an employer, despite the driver being officially registered as an independent contractor.
Mr. Z worked as a driver for Uber under a "partnership agreement." Uber set the ride prices, provided weekly activity reports, and gave him ratings and recommendations. His account was permanently deactivated without prior warning or clear explanation.
Mr. Z took his case to the Paris labour tribunal (Conseil des prud’hommes), arguing his deactivation was an unfair dismissal and his contract should be recognised as an employment contract. In June 2018, the tribunal ruled it was incompetent, stating the relationship was commercial in nature and should be heard by the commercial court.
Mr. Z appealed this decision, insisting that his working conditions demonstrated a clear subordinate relationship with Uber.
The Paris Court of Appeal overturned the initial ruling, siding with the driver. It ignored the "partnership" title of the contract and focused on the actual working conditions.
The court used a traditional legal method known as the "bundle of clues" (faisceau d’indices) and based its reasoning on three key elements that proved subordination:
Directives: Uber issued specific instructions that were incompatible with the status of an independent worker. This included setting fares, dictating the GPS route to follow, regulating driver behavior (e.g., prohibiting the acceptance of tips), and forbidding the driver from picking up non-Uber passengers during a trip.
Control: Uber exercised constant control over the driver's activity. The platform monitored ride acceptance rates, sending a message ("Are you still there?") after three refused rides. Drivers who did not want to accept rides were told to log off, which limited their freedom to choose their hours and jobs without consequence.
Sanctions: Uber held a discretionary power to punish drivers. This included setting a maximum ride cancellation rate, which, if exceeded, could lead to account deactivation. The permanent loss of access to the account, as experienced by Mr. Z, was identified as the ultimate sanction.
In June 2018, following the deactivation of his account, an ex-Uber driver argued that his relationship with Uber was effectively one of an employee, not an independent contractor. He claimed …
A driver (Mr F.) asked for his contractual relationship with Uber BV to be reclassified as an employment contract, after Uber deactivated his account. The Paris Court of Appeal (10 …
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.
