The Employment and Gender Equality Committee chairs made a statement following the passing of the transposition deadline for the pay transparency directive.

The chairs of the Employment and Social Affairs and the Gender Equality and Women's Rights Committees have made the following statements marking the transposition deadline of the pay transparency directive on Sunday 7 June, 2026:

Li Andersson, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, said: “It is a fact that, in the EU, women are still paid less than men, often for doing the same job. With the Pay Transparency Directive, we secured inclusive, impactful, and binding pay transparency rules to make it easy for employees to compare salaries, so that existing gender pay gaps can be exposed. The new rules bring better protection for all workers, creating more transparency in the workplace and more pay responsibility for employers.

"It is high time EU countries lived up to the obligation set out in this directive and implemented its rules; something too many member states have not yet done. Together we can create fairer, more equal, and more transparent workplaces across the EU. I call on all EU-countries to up their game to put an end to gender pay discrimination and ensure equal pay for equal work.”

Lina Gálvez, the Chair of the Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Committee, said: “The pay transparency directive was a proud moment for me as an MEP, as it aims to empower workers to achieve a fair and equal wage and to raise awareness of gender inequalities that go unnoticed.

"Historically, it has been women’s work that has been undervalued and underpaid. That is why it is vital member states transpose this directive into national law without delay. That most EU members states have failed to meet their own deadline on this is unacceptable. Employers cannot be allowed to hide behind opaque pay structures that allow discrimination to flourish. I call upon all member states to enact the pay transparency directive without further delay.”

Background

In 2024 the gross hourly earnings of women in the EU were on average 11.1% less than those of men, according to data from the European Commission. The pay transparency directive was adopted in April 2023 to help reduce the gender pay gap and any unfair pay conditions disadvantaging certain employees.