The EU Transparency Directive is Europe’s latest effort to guarantee equal pay for equal work between men and women using transparency and stronger enforcement. The Commission proposed it in 2023 under the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 to close the ongoing gender pay gap.
The directive lifts the secrecy around salaries. In practice, postings and interviews must now include the pay range; workers can request average pay data for colleagues doing the same job broken down by gender. Employers can no longer ask candidates about their salary history.
By making pay visible, the directive empowers workers, particularly women, to see unjustified salary discrimination and face it rather than just suspect it.
Member states had until 7 June to transpose the directive into national law, but only Italy, Slovakia, Malta and Lithuania have implemented it on time. Most member states missed the deadline, delaying implementation.
Gender pay gaps remain
