Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 386 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in February 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 386 entries and was last updated in February 2024.
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Italy
In November 2020, the Municipality of Bologna intended to launch a screening campaign known as ‘Safety Delivery initiative’ among riders who find themselves working harder precisely with the restrictions on travel connected to the COVID-19 emergency, with the aim of protecting their health and safety. The initiative was promoted by the signatories of the Bologna Charter, together with the support from trade unions including the Italian General Confederation of Labour (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, CGIL), the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, CISL), the Italian Labour Union (UIL), Riders Union, and platforms including My Menu, and Domino’s Pizza. Meanwhile, the Ethical Delivery and Just Eat platforms have helped to communicate and disseminate the initiative to their riders. On 11 December 2020, the ‘Safety Delivery’ initiative started to conduct a health screening of all the food delivery workers operating in Bologna. The test was offered on a free and voluntary basis, carried out by the Local Health Authority of Bologna (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, ASL). The initiative is expected to be extended from Bologna to the entire logistics sector and other productive sectors in Italy later.
Further reading:
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.
