Jelena Tadić Cegnar

DIGITAL LABOUR PLATFORM (DLP) REGULATION IN CROATIA

Introduction

Digital labour platform (dlp) regulation in croatia. Explore Croatia's new Digital Labour Platform (DLP) regulations, effective Jan 2024, aligning with EU directives. Analysis covers challenges, migrant workers, and the impact of the Croatian Labour Act.

Abstract

Digital labour platforms (DLP) represent one of the most visible results of the latest technological revolution in the world of work. Working through online platforms in the Republic of Croatia is a relatively new phenomenon which has seen significant growth in the last few years, especially since the arrival of digital platforms such as Uber, Bolt, Wolt and Glovo, which operate in Croatia in the transport and delivery services. Although this phenomenon started before the COVID-19 crisis, for many platform workers the workload increased sharply due to the impact of the pandemic. The types of work offered through platforms are ever-increasing, as are the challenges for regulators. In an effort to modernize and align Croatian labour law with the contemporary challenges, the amendments to the Croatian Labour Act governing work on digital platforms took effect on 1 January 2024, before the formal adoption of the EU Platform Work Directive in April 2024. With this regulatory harmonization, the Croatian legal framework represents one of the earliest regulations on platform work within the European Union. This paper provides a concise overview of the main novelties brought by the Croatian Labour Act, as well as the key features from the EU Platform Work Directive. The analysis will also examine the Report on the state of Platform Work for the year 2024, which has to be published by the Croatian Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy by 31 January 2025, being the first report since the implementation of the Unified Electronic Work Records (“JEER”) system. The report is expected to provide a more detailed insight into the state of platform work in Croatia. A particular emphasis will be placed on foreign migrant workers, whose number is constantly growing and who are often employed as platform workers. Conclusions will be drawn on the necessary legislative changes during the formal alignment with the adopted directive.

Review

This paper addresses a highly topical and significant issue: the regulation of digital labour platforms (DLPs), with a specific focus on Croatia. The timely examination of Croatia's proactive legislative efforts, which saw amendments to its Labour Act take effect before the formal adoption of the EU Platform Work Directive, positions this work as a crucial early contribution to understanding evolving regulatory landscapes within the European Union. Given the pervasive growth of platforms like Uber, Bolt, Wolt, and Glovo and their substantial impact on the world of work, particularly exacerbated by recent global events, the subject matter holds considerable practical and academic relevance for labour law scholars, policymakers, and industry stakeholders. The abstract outlines a comprehensive scope, promising an overview of the main novelties introduced by the Croatian Labour Act concerning platform work, juxtaposed with key features of the forthcoming EU Platform Work Directive. A particular strength lies in the stated intention to analyze the anticipated Report on the state of Platform Work for 2024, the first since the implementation of the Unified Electronic Work Records (JEER) system. This commitment to incorporating nascent official data, once available, could provide invaluable empirical insights into the initial effects of the new legislation. Furthermore, the explicit focus on the growing cohort of foreign migrant workers within the platform economy highlights an important and often vulnerable demographic, adding depth and a critical social dimension to the legal analysis. Overall, this paper is poised to offer a valuable and timely examination of a rapidly developing area of labour law. Its unique contribution will be in providing an early scholarly perspective on a national regulatory framework that predates the EU-wide directive, enabling an understanding of both local initiatives and the challenges of subsequent harmonization. While the abstract promises a "concise overview," readers would ideally benefit from discussions on the practical challenges of implementation, potential enforcement hurdles, and the initial impact on various stakeholders, including platform companies and different categories of workers. The conclusions regarding necessary legislative changes for formal alignment with the adopted EU directive are particularly anticipated, as they will guide future policy and legal development in this dynamic field.

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