EU Pay Transparency Directive: five weeks to deadline, most member states will miss it

With only five weeks until the June 7, 2026 transposition deadline, no EU member state has formally notified full implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive. The European Commission has confirmed there will be no extensions.

Sweden is closest – its bill passed the Riksdag and takes effect July 1, just three weeks late. Denmark and the Netherlands are targeting January 2027. France hopes for legislation by late 2026. Spain only opened its prior consultation on April 24, meaning it has not even begun drafting legislation.

For job seekers, the directive will require salary ranges in job advertisements, ban “what’s your current salary?” questions during recruitment, and give employees the right to request pay information about colleagues doing equivalent work. Employers with 100+ staff will face regular pay gap reporting obligations.