Cauffman, Caroline and Smits, Jan M., The Sharing Economy and the Law: Food for European Lawyers (2016). Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 23 (2016), pp. 903-907. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2925779

“Over the last five years, the sharing economy has enjoyed a real boom. One important example of this is the creation of numerous internet platforms that have made it easier for businesses and citizens to offer goods and services to the public. While the rise of platforms allowing for the sale of goods by commercial parties was openly embraced by society, the rise of platforms such as Uber and Airbnb, allowing non-professionals to offer services, has given rise to quite some social and legal consternation. This brief contribution discusses approach of the European Union towards the sharing economy, including the European Commission’s 2016 Communication on the ‘European agenda for the collaborative economy’.”