Brief commentary on the European Union regulation of work on digital platforms

Abstract

In 2019, the Council adopted conclusions on new forms of work and asked the Commission, as the executive body of the European Union, to study a regulatory proposal that would guarantee the protection of workers. The Council admitted that digital work, robotics, the use of artificial intelligence and the development of the digital platform economy, and in general, new forms of work contribute to social inclusion, although they pose serious challenges for traditional working arrangements, as well as in ensuring adequate levels of workers’ protection. On December 9, 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions on digital platforms. In this work we will comment on this proposal, which is expected to be adopted with amendments by the European Parliament in April 2024. Once this legislation is published, Member States will have a maximum of two years from the date of its entry into force (20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union) to develop their own laws on how to achieve the objectives of the Directive. Directives are legislative acts that establish the objectives that all Member States must meet, but they are not directly applied.