Gig economy

26-04-2024

Bolt lobbying revelations: Estonia official says human error behind missing correspondence

Est. 4min

The omission of emails from the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs to Bolt and other mobility tech firms, demanded in a freedom of information (FOI) request, was due to human error, the Ministry's Deputy Secretary General Sandra Särav told Estonian news agency ERR.

Economy 24-04-2024

Gig-gling at last: EU adopts gig work directive

Est. 3min

The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a watered-down version of the EU's long-awaited platform work directive at a plenary on Wednesday (24 April), ending two years of intense negotiations with 554 votes in favour and 56 against.

23-04-2024

Emails reveal how Bolt tried to shape Estonia’s opposition to gig work directive

Est. 11min

In October 2023, mobility company Bolt, headquartered in Estonia, offered to draft a letter on behalf of the Estonian government to push back against the platform work directive — liaising directly with a government official who is a former Bolt employee.

Economy 11-03-2024

At long last, EU countries adopt the platform work directive

Est. 4min

EU countries finally adopted the platform work directive at a meeting of EU labour ministers on Monday (11 March), after Estonia and Greece, which had abstained in the past, voted in favour “in the spirit of compromise”.

08-03-2024

In last-minute upset, France pitches new changes to gig work file

Est. 4min

As EU ambassadors were due to meet on Friday (8 March) to try to agree again a provisional deal on the platform work directive, France circulated a set of changes it wants to make to the text, throwing another spanner in the works for the ill-starred file.

07-03-2024

Gig work file set to become key campaign fight for the French left

Est. 5min

The adoption of the platform work directive by member states in the next few days is highly uncertain, with Paris refusing to agree to the current text draft – and the French left is ready to put it at the heart of its campaign agenda.

16-02-2024

Member states slam door shut on gig work directive

Est. 6min

The Belgian Presidency failed to garner the necessary support from member states to agree a new platform work directive on Friday (16 February), effectively shelving the proposal, after more than two years of negotiations.

08-02-2024

Platform work rulebook hangs by thread ahead of member states’ final nod

Est. 4min

Negotiators from the European Commission, Council and Parliament struck a deal on the Platform Work Directive - for the second time - on Thursday (8 February), with all eyes now on member states, who have been asked to rubberstamp it on Friday.

05-02-2024

Belgium Presidency hopes for 11th-hour deal with watered-down platform work directive

Est. 4min

Following failed interinstitutional negotiations over the platform work directive last week, the Belgium Presidency circulated yet another draft text, which significantly waters down the file’s flagship chapter on the legal presumption of employment.

26-01-2024

Is the platform work directive dead?

Est. 6min

The EU's Platform Workers Directive is on life-support and might be split in two after European governments voted down a provisional agreement found in December. “Better no deal than a bad deal,” sources told Euractiv.

23-01-2024

Belgian presidency moves toward France in platform work rulebook rewrite

Est. 6min

The Belgian presidency of the EU Council is edging closer to France’s demands in a new iteration of the Platform Workers Directive obtained by Euractiv, by bringing back critical provisions that are close to Paris's heart.

15-01-2024

Belgian presidency gives platform workers rulebook new try

Est. 4min

The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU has circulated a new draft text of the platform work directive, which should be the basis for technical negotiations among member states on Tuesday (16 January), amid persistent divisions about the directive's scope.

12-01-2024

France leads charge to rewrite platform workers’ rulebook

Est. 6min

Last month, a coalition of EU countries blocked the provisional agreement on the Platform Workers Directive. But while the Belgian EU Council presidency wants to use the political deal as the starting point for future discussion, Paris wants a more comprehensive file reshaping.

10-01-2024

Tier acquires Dott in bid to become European micro-mobility champion

Est. 3min

Following recent profit losses, e-bike and e-scooter start-ups Tier and Dott announced on Wednesday (10 January) a preliminary merger agreement that seeks to make the new entity the 'European champion' of micro-mobility.

13-12-2023

EU lawmakers nail down rules for platform workers

Est. 5min

The representatives of the main EU institutions reached a provisional agreement over the Platform Workers Directive in the early hours of Wednesday (13 December) after almost two years of strenuous negotiations.

16-11-2023

EU institutions finalise rulebook for travel tech platforms

Est. 5min

EU lawmakers reached a deal in the early hours of Thursday (16 November) to regulate data-sharing of short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia.

31-10-2023

EU policymakers brace for clash in thorny debate over platform workers’ status

Est. 5min

EU institutions are preparing for confrontation over the functioning of the legal presumption of employment, the most sensitive aspect of the Platform Workers Directive, in a trilogue next Thursday (9 November).

18-07-2023

‘Hidden deal’ vs ‘conspiracy’: Two opposing views of France’s Uber Files report

Est. 5min

Uber and President Emmanuel Macron had a "hidden deal" going on when he was economy minister, France's parliamentary committee looking into the Uber files case wrote in a highly critical report published on Tuesday (18 July), drawing criticism of a "conspiracy" from pro-Macron deputies.

12-07-2023

Commission strives to revert to initial text in platform workers negotiations

Est. 5min

As inter-institutional negotiations kick off on the Platform Workers Directive, EURACTIV has learnt that the European Commission will endeavour to get the final text closer to its initial proposal, expecting most of the pushback to come from EU countries.

Technology 11-07-2023

EU Council pushes for ‘minimum harmonisation’ in draft telecom law

Est. 5min

The Council of the EU discusses a telecom EU regulation that aims at fostering gigabit infrastructure deployment across the EU. Member States seem to accept the binding instrument of a regulation, at the condition that it respects "minimum harmonisation".

12-06-2023

EU countries nail down common position on platform workers directive

Est. 3min

EU labour ministers endorsed a general approach to the Platform Workers Directive on Monday (12 June), marking the close of a year and a half’s worth of intense negotiations and opening the door to interinstitutional negotiations with the Commission and the European Parliament.

09-06-2023

Top EU Court strikes down Barcelona’s strict taxi-on-demand rules

Est. 3min

A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling published on Thursday (8 June) slammed Barcelona’s strict private hire vehicles rules as “contrary to EU law”, in a move that could have EU-wide repercussions.

31-05-2023

Sweden gives platform work directive final push in hope of EU Council deal

Est. 4min

A meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday (31 May) will look into a new compromise text on the platform work directive, seen by EURACTIV, in the hope of building a bridge between two starkly divided camps and bringing member states together ahead of a ministerial meeting in mid-June.

30-05-2023

Uber Files: Top official ‘cannot recall’ actioning ‘kill switch’, email proves he did

Est. 4min

Uber’s Senior Vice-President Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty testified at the French ‘Uber Files’ parliamentary investigation committee on Thursday (25 May) that he could not recall an email, seen by EURACTIV, whereby he personally requested actioning the data-destruction ‘kill switch’ tool.