On Thursday 3 February, the Secretariat-General of the Council of the EU sent to national delegations a summary of Member States’ initial comments on the proposed directive on the protection of digital platform workers in preparation for the working group meeting on 8 February.
Delegations’ feedback on the European Commission’s proposal (see EUROPE 12850/14) seems to be generally positive, although, for example, a “limited number” of delegations have questioned the validity of the legal basis of the directive for introducing the presumption of employment.
“Many” wanted more information on the selection of criteria for determining this presumption of employment. Initial feedback on the proposals to regulate platform algorithms has been positive.
All Member States felt that the general and specific objectives of the directive were clearly set out in a way that was consistent with existing EU policies.
Some delegations would have liked to see a more detailed analysis of the impact of a possible price increase on final consumers or on the activity of SMEs.
Some have questioned the calculation of the increase in tax and social security contributions that could potentially result from the new provisions introduced by the directive in the event of a massive reclassification of workers as employees. Some delegations expressed concern about respecting the autonomy of the social partners and national models.
The French Presidency of the Council of the EU intends to advance discussions on the directive in the EU Council without seeking a political agreement in the next 6 months (see EUROPE 12877/21). It is true that the proposal did not arouse unbridled enthusiasm in Paris (see EUROPE 12843/20).
To consult the first evaluation: https://aeur.eu/f/76 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)