Behind the scenes of the apps, the European agenda is taking center stage in negotiations. Adopted in 2024, the directive on platform work must be transposed into French law by December 2026, and Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo, and their ilk are scrutinizing every comma. At stake is much more than legal tweaking: the very organization of the sector and the cost of using drivers and couriers, most of whom are registered as independent contractors.
In France, the figure is around 120.000 active workers in major urban areas, a number that increases depending on the geographical scope. The government, for its part, is maintaining its usual approach: seeking a balance between social protection and preserving the flexibility that has made these services successful, with structured social dialogue and specific regulations already in place.
Subordination, the ultimate arbiter of a low-cost model
At the heart of this power struggle lies a seemingly abstract but potentially game-changing concept: subordination. Price setting, disconnection rules, sanctions, and management through digital tools—these criteria recur in legal disputes like a recurring theme, opening the door to reclassifications as employment contracts. Platforms fear increased costs and a deluge of litigation, enough to disrupt the low-cost delivery and shopping industry.
They advocate for "chosen independence" and warn that a broad reclassification would raise prices and reduce the number of services offered, while unions and collectives denounce economic dependence, net compensation deemed too low, and the use of the right to disconnect as leverage. One stubborn reality remains: by 2026, the French model will have to justify itself, line by line, to a Europe that wants to regulate the app economy, and everyone is preparing to pay the price.
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