Today, the Court of Justice of the European Union held that internet platform Uber does not merely provide an App: it offers a full transport service. Uber exercises a decisive influence over the conditions under which drivers provide their service: the price, the minimum safety conditions, the conduct of drivers and their exclusion from the platform (C-434/15).
This decision addresses the very core of several highly debated questions on the legal status of online intermediaries (e.g. Uber, Airbnb & TaskRabbit). Does the emerging Platform Economy necessitate regulatory intervention? To what extent can platforms be held liable? Does national regulation impose disproportionate market restrictions on innovators? Do platforms qualify as employers? Is the potential loss of social protection of workers detrimental? Do platforms evade tax obligations and other regulations?
Experts in contract law, E.U. law, social law and tax law will discuss these questions during a conference at KU Leuven on Monday 19 February 2018. Deputy prime minister Kris Peeters will open the session. This conference is relevant for all legal professionals who will be increasingly confronted with online intermediary platforms.
Register online before 12 February 2018 (fee: 150 euro, incl. participation to the conference, documentation, lunch, coffee break and the hard cover book with a market value of 95 euro).
Click here for further information
Programme
- 12h15 Registration & Lunch
- 13h00 Introduction – A political perspective
Kris Peeters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs
I. KEY LEGAL CHALLENGES
- 13h15 Platforms: To Regulate or Not To Regulate?
Prof. dr. Alain Strowel, Université Saint-Louis & UCLouvain - 13h35 Liability of Platforms
Drs. Bram Devolder, KU Leuven - 13h55 Law Evasion in the Platform Economy
Drs. Nicolas Van Damme, KU Leuven
II. CHALLENGES FOR E.U. LAW
- 14h20 A Common Market in the Platform Economy
Prof. dr. Wouter Devroe & drs. Friso Bostoen, KU Leuven - 14h40 Platforms and Consumer Protection
Prof. dr. Denis Voinot & dr. Aurélien Fortunato, Université Lille 2 - 15h00 Model Rules on Online Intermediary Platforms
Prof. dr. Christoph Busch, Universität Osnabrück - 15h20 Coffee break
III. CHALLENGES FOR SOCIAL LAW
- 15h50 Labor Protection in the Platform Economy
Prof. dr. Valerio De Stefano, KU Leuven - 16h10 Social Protection of Non-Standard Workers
Prof. dr. Paul Schoukens, KU Leuven & Tilburg University & drs. Alberto Barrio, Tilburg University - 16h30 Social Security and the Sharing Economy: Dilemma and Paradox
Prof. dr. Yves Stevens, KU Leuven - 16h50 Alternative Methods of Protection
Prof. dr. Wouter Verheyen, Erasmus University Rotterdam
IV. CHALLENGES FOR TAXATION
- 17h15 Direct Taxation of Platforms
Prof. dr. Luc De Broe & drs. Dina Scornos, KU Leuven - 17h35 VAT in the Platform Economy
Prof. dr. Edoardo Traversa,UCLouvain & prof. dr. Kenneth Vyncke, KU Leuven - 17h55 Closing Remarks – An Academic Perspective
Dean Bernard Tilleman, KU Leuven - 18h15 Questions & Answers