New EU regulations may overturn the courier market in Poland
Poland's courier, express, and parcel (KEP) sector, vital to e-commerce, may face major disruption from the EU’s Platform Work Directive (2024/2831). The directive, aimed at digital gig platforms, presumes an employment relationship between platforms and workers. If misapplied to traditional courier firms, it could cause market destabilization, raise costs by 25–40%, and reduce service availability.
KEP companies, like DHL and UPS, warn that forced employment contracts would undermine their operating models and discourage independent drivers. The sector handles 1.5 billion parcels yearly and employs over 70,000 people. Industry leaders urge tailored implementation to exclude KEP operators, arguing their business models differ fundamentally from digital platforms like food delivery apps and are already well-regulated.
(wnp.pl)
