Platform economy labor regulation in Europe

European nations are moving toward regulating the platform economy to improve protections for digital workers.

In Slovakia, new legislation transposing EU Directive 2024/2831 introduces a rebuttable legal presumption of employment. This allows workers or unions to suggest a relationship of subordination, shifting the burden to platforms to prove an employment relationship does not exist. The law also mandates transparency regarding algorithmic management, requiring platforms to disclose how automated systems impact tasks and pay while strengthening human oversight and data protection.

In Serbia, expected amendments to the Labor Law aim to align with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 193 and EU directives. Given that Serbia has one of the highest numbers of digital platform workers per capita in Europe, Jovan Protić, the ILO national coordinator for Serbia, stated the goal is not to eliminate the platform business model, but to establish clear rules to ensure “decent work and adequate social protection” for app-based workers while maintaining fair market conditions.

Meanwhile, in Croatia, labor unions argue that proposed amendments to the Labor Act are insufficient to address systemic issues. Unions report frequent violations, including unpaid wages and failure to compensate for hours worked. Krešimir Zovak of Novi sindikat noted that some workers face deductions or are forced to return parts of their wages to employers under various pretexts. Challenges persist regarding the ability to unionize and the difficulty of tracking paid labor during waiting periods.