The contributions in this book shed an innovating light on a topic of major scientific, as well as practical, interest that has seldom been dealt with in a comprehensive way: the relations between EU and non-EU countries and nationals, as far as social security is concerned. First, the internal co-ordination of the EU in relation to third country nationals is analyzed. The ways the social security systems of the EU Member States are being co-ordinated with those of the Mediterranean emigration countries are also examined. Additionally, the EU European Free Trade Association's social security arrangements are explored. An overview of the complex landscape of the existing bilateral and multilateral social security instruments binding EU states and non-EU states is provided. Finally, the book deals with the European and international law applicable to the social security of illegal foreign workers. These contributions were presented at a conference held in April 2009 in Leuven, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Master of European Social Security.

On 20 December 2017 and 10 April 2018 respectively, the Court of Justice of the European Union passed two landmark cases on the legal status of internet platform Uber. The Court established that Uber does not merely provide an app, but rather offers a full transport service. Without Uber there would be no market for non-professional drivers using their own vehicles. Moreover, the platform exercises a decisive influence over the conditions under which drivers provide their service. These rulings address the very core of several highly debated questions on the legal status of online intermediaries such as Uber, Airbnb and TaskRabbit. Is regulatory intervention needed to reap the potential benefits of the platform economy or to mitigate the potentially negative consequences of regulatory disruption? Can platforms be held liable for the proper execution of services provided by others? Does existing national regulation impose disproportionate market restrictions on innovators? Should we rethink labour protection aand social security to address the potential loss of social protection of non-standard workers? How can revenue law be improved to tackle elaborate (international) schemes to avoid direct and indirect taxation? Emerging platforms claim to create new market opportunities and to provide innovative solutions to improve social welfare. Conversely, the platform economy blurs established lines between traditional legal categories, such as business and consumer, personal and professional, and worker and contractor. Traditional regulation, which often focuses on balancing the interests of two contracting parties, is now confronted with the three-sided contractual relationship between a platform, a supplier and a user. In this book, a panel of international legal experts unravel the legal status of online intermediaries a thorny knot that legislators, judges and lawyers across the globe are facing.

This open access book explores the EU regulatory framework to measure in-work poverty and reduce its impact on different groups of workers in the labour market. Its innovative approach links the enhancement of social rights with the full realisation of EU citizenship entitlements and values. For almost two decades, EU countries have experienced rampant inequalities as well as the varied spread of in-work poverty, both around Europe and within national labour markets. Without the realistic prospect of EU citizens earning a decent living, the substantive content of EU citizenship itself could be put in jeopardy. Following an in-depth scrutiny of the main policy options at both EU and national levels to reduce the number of working poor, this invaluable resource provides a theoretical reflection on the role of legislation and socio-fiscal welfare in contemporary labour markets. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.