Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 412 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in May 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.
Search
The database currently contains 412 entries and was last updated in May 2025.
Tag
Active
Spain
Deliveroo announced the end of its operations in Spain. This news comes shortly after the Spanish government introduced the Riders' law - giving delivery riders and similar workers more rights, like those of regular employees.
Deliveroo stated that becoming a top company in Spain would require a huge investment with no guarantee of making good profits back, potentially making it pointless financially, since Spain isn't a major market, making up less than 2% of its total sales. Deliveroo also faced tough competition in Spain from rivals like Uber Eats, Just Eat, and the Spanish company Glovo.
Deliveroo said that the Riders' Law wasn't the main reason for leaving, however, they admitted it did make them decide to leave sooner than they might have otherwise.
Before leaving Spain completely, Deliveroo will have talks with its staff and riders there.
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.
