Italy approves draft law transposing the EU Platform Work Directive

Italy’s government approved draft legislation on 24 July 2026 transposing the EU Platform Work Directive into national law, according to DLA Piper’s employment-law briefing published 10 August. The draft introduces the directive’s two headline mechanisms: a legal presumption of employment for platform workers where indicators of control are present, and transparency obligations around algorithmic management – how automated systems allocate work, evaluate performance and take decisions affecting workers. The law is expected to be in force by the end of 2026.

Italy joins Germany (which moved in May) and Sweden (March) among the early transposers. All member states must transpose Directive (EU) 2024/2831 by 2 December 2026.

Why this matters

If you earn through platforms in Italy – delivery, ride-hailing, but also digital freelance marketplaces operating algorithmic matching – the presumption of employment shifts the burden of proof: where the platform directs and controls your work, it must demonstrate you are genuinely self-employed, rather than you having to prove you are an employee. The algorithmic transparency rules apply regardless of employment status, giving genuinely self-employed platform workers the right to understand and contest automated decisions that affect their access to work. Freelancers on marketplaces should watch how “platform” ends up defined in the final Italian text.

Context

The 2 December 2026 transposition deadline means a wave of similar national laws is due across the EU this autumn, and the Commission has shown this year that it pursues late transposers – eight member states received formal notices in July over the older transparent-working-conditions directive. The Netherlands is tackling adjacent ground through a different route, with its €38/hour employment presumption for low-paid freelance work taking effect on 31 December 2026.