In many parts of Europe, workers have no information about how much they are paid for a particular job.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive is designed to change this situation: it obliges employers to be more open about salaries and helps strengthen the principle of equal pay for equal work.
The document should help reduce the gender pay gap in the EU, which currently stands at 11%. For many women, failure to implement the directive could have a direct impact on their annual income.
Six EU countries have yet to take a step
They are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Luxembourg and Portugal.
Sweden has submitted a bill, but the government suspended its consideration in March 2026, citing the burden the directive places on employers.
In Germany, an update of the legislation is expected in 2026. In the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Slovenia and Spain, bills are also expected to be introduced.
Ten EU countries have already published draft laws, although they are at various stages of consideration. They are Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Romania.
Three countries – Belgium, Malta and Poland – have partially implemented the directive.
In Slovakia, the Parliament approved a law on equal pay that will enter into force on June 7, 2026.
In France, the June 7 deadline will not be met. Even after the adoption of the law, key elements will have to be further defined in separate bylaws.
The missed deadlines for implementing the new regulations form a transitional period, when companies do not yet have clear national rules, but courts, employees and works councils are already oriented towards the direction set by the directive.
