European Union member states are lagging behind in implementing the bloc’s landmark Pay Transparency Directive, raising concerns that several countries may miss the June 7, 2026, deadline. The directive, aimed at narrowing the gender pay gap, requires employers to disclose salary ranges and strengthen the principle of “equal pay for equal work.”
Women in the EU currently earn around 12% less per hour than men, according to Eurostat. The new rules are designed to bring greater openness to workplace pay structures, giving jobseekers access to salary information before applying and helping to eliminate long-standing inequalities that often disadvantage women, younger workers, and those returning from parental leave.
However, progress across the bloc has been uneven. According to law firm Addleshaw Goddard’s latest implementation tracker, as of September 2025, ten of the EU’s 27 member states — including Austria, Denmark, Greece, Italy, and Portugal — have yet to take any legislative action. Eight others, including France, Spain, and Finland, are drafting proposals, while Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden, and the Netherlands have already published draft legislation. Only Belgium, Malta, and Poland have partially implemented the directive so far.
The Netherlands recently postponed its rollout until January 2027, citing administrative and technical delays. Experts warn that similar postponements could follow elsewhere. “At the end of 2025, most EU countries are not yet ready with the implementation of the directive,” said Monika Krzyszkowska-Dabrowska, head of employment practice at Addleshaw Goddard in Warsaw. “In general, progress is slow.”
Some countries plan to adapt existing national laws, while others are drafting entirely new legislation. Austria, for example, already introduced a transparency initiative in 2011 and may only require minor adjustments. But the directive’s scope—introducing new employer obligations, employee rights, and expanded powers for regulators—has complicated the process.
“The changes are set to reshape national legal systems and add significant compliance burdens,” Krzyszkowska-Dabrowska noted.
Political and economic instability has further slowed progress. Dr. Duncan Brown of the Institute for Employment Studies told Euronews Business that the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and cost-of-living crises have crowded legislative agendas across Europe. “Governments have had to prioritise immediate issues such as defence spending and inflation,” he said.
Among the EU’s largest economies, Germany is yet to publish its draft bill but has convened an expert commission to provide recommendations by late autumn 2025. France expects to introduce its proposal around the same time. Italy, however, has not yet initiated any formal steps. Spain, which already mandates gender pay audits and registers, will need to align its existing framework with EU standards.
Despite the slow progress, analysts believe the directive could mark a turning point in workplace equality once fully enforced — ending long-standing secrecy around pay and helping close Europe’s persistent gender wage gap.
