Gig economy
Bolt lobbying revelations: Estonia official says human error behind missing correspondence
Est. 4minThe 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.
Gig-gling at last: EU adopts gig work directive
Est. 3minThe 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.
Emails reveal how Bolt tried to shape Estonia’s opposition to gig work directive
Est. 11minIn 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.
At long last, EU countries adopt the platform work directive
Est. 4minEU 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”.
In last-minute upset, France pitches new changes to gig work file
Est. 4minAs 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.
Gig work file set to become key campaign fight for the French left
Est. 5minThe 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.
Member states slam door shut on gig work directive
Est. 6minThe 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.
Delivery failure: Belgium Presidency’s platform work directive undermines single market
Est. 4minThe latest agreement on the platform work directive brings less legal clarity than the status quo, and fails to give platforms and workers alike harmonised rules and protections across the EU's single market, Tomas Prouza writes for Euractiv.
Platform work rulebook hangs by thread ahead of member states’ final nod
Est. 4minNegotiators 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.
Belgium Presidency hopes for 11th-hour deal with watered-down platform work directive
Est. 4minFollowing 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.
Is the platform work directive dead?
Est. 6minThe 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.
Belgian presidency moves toward France in platform work rulebook rewrite
Est. 6minThe 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.
Belgian presidency gives platform workers rulebook new try
Est. 4minThe 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.
France leads charge to rewrite platform workers’ rulebook
Est. 6minLast 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.
Tier acquires Dott in bid to become European micro-mobility champion
Est. 3minFollowing 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.
EU lawmakers nail down rules for platform workers
Est. 5minThe 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.
EU institutions finalise rulebook for travel tech platforms
Est. 5minEU 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.
EU policymakers brace for clash in thorny debate over platform workers’ status
Est. 5minEU 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).
‘Hidden deal’ vs ‘conspiracy’: Two opposing views of France’s Uber Files report
Est. 5minUber 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.
Commission strives to revert to initial text in platform workers negotiations
Est. 5minAs 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.
EU Council pushes for ‘minimum harmonisation’ in draft telecom law
Est. 5minThe 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".
The Brief — Short-lived gig-gles?
Est. 7minEU labour ministers celebrated finding a common position on the politically sensitive platform workers file this week, after months of a complete freeze in negotiations. But refrain from the warm congratulatory words just yet: The EU is more split over gig economy regulation than you might think.
EU countries nail down common position on platform workers directive
Est. 3minEU 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.
Top EU Court strikes down Barcelona’s strict taxi-on-demand rules
Est. 3minA 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.