BRUSSELS, March 11 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday

backed watered-down draft rules giving workers at Uber ( UBER ),

Deliveroo ( DROOF ) and other online platforms more social and

labour rights.

EU lawmakers and Belgium had clinched a political agreement

last month but subsequently failed to muster enough support from

EU countries as France, Germany, Estonia and Greece abstained

from voting for the deal.

"Ministers just approved the compromise text on the Platform

Work Directive (#PWD). This will improve the rights and

conditions of more than 28.5 million Europeans working in the

#PlatformWork economy," Belgium, current holder of the rotating

EU presidency, said on social media platform X.

Proposed by the European Commission in 2021, the draft rules

are aimed at an estimated 40 million gig economy workers in the

European Union.