ONLINE PLATFORMS AND HOW TO REGULATE THEM: AN EU OVERVIEW. Bertelsmann Stiftung Policy Paper No. 227 14 June 2018

Dittrich, Paul-Jasper (2018) ONLINE PLATFORMS AND HOW TO REGULATE THEM: AN EU OVERVIEW. Bertelsmann Stiftung Policy Paper No. 227 14 June 2018. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

The rapid rise of online market places such as Amazon, peer-to-peer platforms like Uber, social networks and other forms of online platforms has characterized the digital transformation of the last decade. These online platforms now play a key role in today’s economy and the functioning and governance of the internet. They have brought real benefits for consumers and businesses in the EU by giving them easier access to products and services and facilitating transactions between them. At the same time, their meteoric growth has caused concerns about market dominance and the widening information and power asymmetry between platforms and citizens, businesses and regulators alike. Online platforms, moreover, challenge the regulatory framework of the Single Market. These challenges often culminate in the call for more “platform regulation” at European level. The aim of this paper is to shed light on these challenges and the European debate on platform regulation. In particular, it seeks to 1.) Provide an overview of existing regulation of online platforms in the Single Market; 2.) Examine current regulatory challenges for the platform economy in the EU; and 3.) Propose guidelines for the future European debate on platform regulation.

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