Sharing and Caring COST ACTION CA16121 Member Countries Report on the Collaborative Economy May 2018 3 Table of Contents PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. 6 AUSTRIA ................................................................................................................................... 8 BELGIUM ................................................................................................................................ 11 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA ................................................................................................. 15 BULGARIA ............................................................................................................................. 16 CYPRUS .................................................................................................................................. 19 CROATIA ................................................................................................................................ 19 ESTONIA ................................................................................................................................. 21 FINLAND ................................................................................................................................ 25 FRANCE .................................................................................................................................. 27 GERMANY .............................................................................................................................. 32 GREECE .................................................................................................................................. 34 HUNGARY .............................................................................................................................. 37 ICELAND ................................................................................................................................ 39 IRELAND ................................................................................................................................ 41 ISRAEL .................................................................................................................................... 44 ITALY ...................................................................................................................................... 46 LITHUANIA ............................................................................................................................ 50 THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA .............................................. 52 MALTA .................................................................................................................................... 55 THE NETHERLANDS ............................................................................................................ 56 NORWAY ................................................................................................................................ 60 POLAND .................................................................................................................................. 63 PORTUGAL ............................................................................................................................. 65 4 ROMANIA ............................................................................................................................... 68 SLOVENIA .............................................................................................................................. 71 SLOVAKIA ............................................................................................................................. 74 SPAIN ...................................................................................................................................... 78 SWEDEN ................................................................................................................................. 81 SWITZERLAND ...................................................................................................................... 84 UNITED KINGDOM ............................................................................................................... 87 LIST OF AUTHORS ............................................................................................................... 92 5 PREFACE The main objective of the Cost Action “Sharing and Caring” is to develop European network of actors investigating the development of Collaborative Economy (CE) models, platforms and socio-technological implications. The network involves more than two hundred members (including scholars, practitioners, communities and policymakers) across 34 European countries, and 3 other associated countries. This “Sharing and Caring Countries Report” represents its first synergetic outcome and provides an overview of the Collaborative Economy phenomenon as interpreted and manifested in each of the countries part of the network. According to the European Commission, the term Collaborative Economy is used interchangeably with ‘Sharing Economy’. The term ‘Sharing Economy’ was frequently used when early models (i.e.: Airbnb, ZipCar) appeared and gained popularity especially in the USA, but it was soon substituted with the term ‘Collaborative Economy’ in European contexts. The country reports in this collection often use the two terms interchangeably, further illustrating the fact that a shared, stable definition is still missing. However, the ambition driving the term Collaborative Economy is to create specific European economic models “with greater emphasis on the involvement of community” (Ouishare). In Europe, too, the definition of collaborative/sharing economy remains fuzzy, including both non-profit and for-profit models, and both monetary and non-monetary exchange among participants. The phenomenon is complex, covering various fields of activity, as well as operating on different levels, ranging from the international to the national and the local. Some definitions focus mostly on sustainability, while others highlight technological and financial aspects and business models specific to the phenomenon. The examples cited in this report picture both aspects of the phenomenon: the collection speaks to the business side of peer-to-peer exchange and the use of intermediary digital platforms as well as a variety of bottom-up civic initiatives that aim at promoting new societal values among society members without a direct economic benefit. Both for profit and non- profit stakeholders are taking part and pushing forward the phenomenon, exploring challenges and opportunities offered by the expanding match between ICT infrastructure development and societal needs. In this report, national and local governments frequently come up as crucial stakeholders involved in the development of the Collaborative Economy, especially when it comes to laws and regulations. 6 The collaborative economy has the potential to create new opportunities for consumers and entrepreneurs, but also to introduce new threats and concerns. Big companies, like Airbnb and Uber, have been frequently subjects of critical, public debate related to issues such as labour conditions and real estate regulations, as well as emerging conflicts concerning the breach of local, regional, and European laws by these new business models. The role of national governments and local authorities could be crucial in promoting and developing the Collaborative Economy in a responsible and sustainable way. This report illustrates the range of perspectives and experiences in different European countries, embracing the diversity that stems from their different historical, social and political context. Next to cultural and political factors that have shaped the attitudes, institutions, and practices that play a key role in how the collaborative economy is perceived and realized in different countries, another important issue relates to technological tools that are being used, including a range of mobile applications, social media platforms (such as Facebook), and other tools based on online social networks. However, in countries like Belgium, Poland, Estonia, Hungary there are many platforms in use that are specific to the collaborative economy (i.e. ListMinut, Bringr, Conceptz, znanylekarz.pl, Osta.ee, Miutcánk.hu). In July 2017, representatives from each of the twenty-eight countries featured in this report were invited to produce short country reports including, definition(s) of the Collaborative Economy; types and models of the Collaborative Economy; key stakeholders involved; as well as legislation and technological tools relevant for the Collaborative Economy. The reports vary in length and in the level of detail included, in accordance with how much information was available in each respective country at the time of writing. We have compiled these early reports into this summary report, which is intended as a first step in mapping the state of the Collaborative Economy in Europe. A new version of the report is planned for 2019. 7 AUSTRIA In Austria, both non-profit initiatives and for-profit companies are active in the field of collaborative economy. Old forms of collaborative economy, such as libraries or the sharing of equipment in agriculture, have a long tradition. Since the global spread of new platforms and network activities, the collaborative economy has