Delivery couriers and taxi drivers from large online platforms 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 project. A majority is likely there.
Negotiators from the EU states and Parliament had actually already agreed on a compromise twice. But the deals fell through again and further discussions were needed. Above all, it was difficult to find a majority within the EU states, which also failed because of the federal government. When the EU states voted, the FDP stood in the way. It is not the first time that the party has opposed compromises that have already been made at the EU level. Most recently, she blocked and thereby prevented the completely negotiated supply chain law. The FDP also initially vetoed a regulation on CO₂ values for trucks, but then gave in.
Now the federal government had to abstain again from the vote to improve working conditions. The deputy federal chairman 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 Commission’s initiative therefore does not go too far, but in the wrong direction. “It cannot be the case that self-employed people should be turned into employees against their will,” said Vogel.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said: “If you are not able to compromise, you cannot help shape things. I personally very much regret the voting behavior.” It is important that digitalization in working life is not confused with exploitation.