EU Commission proposal ignores the diversity of platform work

(9 December 2021) - Today the European Commission published its proposal for an EU law on platform work. Within this the Commission is proposing a rebuttable presumption of employment. This does not reflect reality, as many platform workers choose to work as self-employed. Cooperation between the Commission, Member States and national social partners is the way forward to reach clarity on the criteria to distinguish self-employed platform workers from workers employed by platforms.

BusinessEurope’s Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: "We regret the approach chosen by the Commission on platform work. The Commission chose to make a political statement rather than proposing a balanced solution for platforms, for workers and for their clients. Any EU intervention on platform work must provide clarity on how platform work can be legitimately organised – both as self-employment and employment, depending on which fits best.

Running counter to this, the proposed presumption of employment is likely to have a chilling effect on the opportunities for individuals to conduct business as self-employed and have a negative impact on provision of services in the internal market. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for platform work and EU Member States’ and social partners’ competences to define who is working under an employment relationship must be respected."