The employees of large online delivery services or similar platforms often work under poor conditions. The EU states have agreed on improvements. Germany abstained once again because the FDP had concerns.
Employees of delivery services and drivers of large online platforms such as Uber can hope for better working conditions in the EU. The EU states spoke out in favor of new requirements in order to better prevent bogus self-employment, as the Belgian EU Council Presidency announced.
The European Parliament still has to approve the plan, although a majority is likely.
Fake self-employment should be prevented
The new guideline particularly helps those employees who work via an online platform, for example as taxi drivers, household workers or food delivery workers. They are often self-employed, which saves the platform operators social security contributions, for example. In reality, these self-employed people then work like employees, without being able to rely on the same rights.
The EU puts the number of such bogus self-employed people at around four million people. In the future, the burden of proof that these employees are independent will lie with the platform operators. According to the EU, a total of more than 28 million women and men offer their work via digital platforms.
Agreement hung in the balance for weeks
The agreement between the EU countries was preceded by weeks of delays. Negotiators from the Member States and Parliament had actually already agreed on compromises twice – but these deals fell through again and further discussions were needed. Above all, it was difficult to find a majority within the EU states, which failed due to concerns from France and Germany.
However, the two major member states were overruled because, according to diplomats, Estonia changed its stance on the law at the last moment. This means that the necessary majority of 15 member states, which represent 65 percent of the EU population, was achieved.
Berlin abstains due to FDP concerns
Germany had to abstain from the vote because its coalition partner FDP had expressed concerns. The deputy federal chairman of the Liberals, Johannes Vogel, recently described the proposed platform rules as “an attack on all self-employed people in Europe”.
Independence is a central and necessary part of a modern working world. The EU Commission’s initiative therefore does not go too far, but rather in the wrong direction. “It cannot be the case that self-employed people should be turned into employees against their will,” said Vogel.
Heil: “I regret that Voting behavior very”
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, however, welcomed the agreement. “False self-employment and precarious working conditions are being pushed back,” said the SPD politician to the Politico portal. That is good for the employees.
With regard to the German abstention, Heil explained: “If you are not able to compromise, you cannot help shape things. I personally very much regret the voting behavior.” The new law brings “legal certainty for companies”. Because the directive provides for the first time “EU-wide regulations for the use of automated monitoring systems in the world of work,” he said in view of the FDP’s concerns. It is important that digitalization in working life is not confused with exploitation.
Because the FDP disagreed with the SPD and the Greens, Germany had to abstain from EU decisions several times. There were disputes at the traffic lights in the last few meters over EU projects such as new fleet limits for heavy commercial vehicles, the artificial intelligence law and the EU supply chain law.
With information from Andreas Meyer-Feist, ARD Studio Brussels