A Key to Regaining Europe’s Economic Power
The platform economy has become a central pillar of Europe’s digital transformation. It reshapes how SMEs scale, how people work and how value is created as well as exchanged. Platforms enable SMEs to access talent, reach global customers, diversify revenue streams and operate across borders — even from smaller or rural regions. For freelancers and solopreneurs, platforms offer new professional opportunities beyond traditional employment models. Today, over 43 million Europeans are active in platform-mediated or freelance work and the number continues to grow.
Europe has laid down major parts of its digital regulatory framework — including the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, AI Act, and soon, the Digital Fairness Act. The priority now is implementation: proportional, SME-sensitive, legally clear and harmonised across Member States. This includes tackling challenges such as platform work regulation, freelancer finance access, late payments and fragmented cross-border tax, algorithmic management and compliance regimes.
SMEs and emerging platform providers need legal clarity, interoperability, and predictable access to Europe’s Single Market. Freelancers need modern protections that secure autonomy while improving transparency and financial inclusion. At the same time, a balanced approach is essential to safeguard consumer trust and prevent unfair platform practices without stifling innovation.
