A revised EU proposed directive on platform workers was blocked by a group of member states, casting uncertainty over the legislation.

According to Euronews, Germany, Greece and Estonia chose to abstain, while France, a vigorous opponent of the law, said it could not support the text on the table, the publication learned through diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The agreement, which was revised earlier this month, was considered the last chance for the law to get across the finish line during this legislative session due to the cut-off date imposed by the upcoming EU elections. The revision came after EU regulators had reached a provisional agreement on a proposed directive to improve working conditions for platform workers but had not received support at the time.

The Platform Workers Directive (PWD), first proposed in 2021, aims to improve working conditions for platform workers.

Since the directive was introduced, the legal presumption has faced scrutiny from both the platforms who are concerned about higher costs as well as from some governments wary of increasing administrative burden and slowing down the gig economy.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024 said, “We believe that this directive, aiming to be an important step forward for this workforce, has come a long way," the presidency said. "We'll now consider the next steps."

European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmitt said in a statement on X on Friday, “It is deeply disappointing that the EU Member States were not able to vote through the platform work directive today.  The Commission still firmly believes in the need to improve gig workers’ terms and conditions, and create a level playing field across the Union.”

Elisabetta Gualmini, Member of European Parliament, said Friday's decision was "incomprehensible" and directly accused France, Germany, Estonia and Greece of "turning their backs" on millions of "vulnerable and exploited" workers.

Move EU, a lobbying group that represents Uber, Bolt and Free Now, celebrated the rejection of a directive that, in its view, "would have created more legal uncertainty," and said it was "high time to pause the discussions" until after the upcoming EU elections.