No public legislative activity reported. Only minor adjustments expected given Austria's existing equal pay framework in place since 2011.

Partial transposition in force in the French Community (Wallonie-Bruxelles rules effective since January 2025). Flemish Community draft still pending. Federal BE-MAGIC project ongoing.

No draft law or timeline published yet.

No public activity or draft law reported.

No specific pay transparency laws currently in force.

Comprehensive draft bill published January 26, 2026. Cyprus goes beyond directive minimums in several areas: broad definition of "pay" covering all cash and in-kind benefits, enhanced job evaluation requirements with explicit weighting of gender-neutral criteria, strong enforcement including labour inspector investigative powers, fines, and criminal liability.

Full transposition targeted for June 7, 2026. The National Gender Equality Strategy 2024-26 confirms implementation is underway.

Pay secrecy ban effective since June 1, 2025. A working group is preparing a broader transposition draft, expected in early 2026.

Denmark held a general election on March 24, 2026, adding significant political uncertainty to the transposition process. The Social Democrats won the most seats (38) but at their lowest vote share since 1903 (21.9%). Neither the red nor blue bloc secured a majority, with coalition negotiations ongoing since March 25.

A draft bill implementing the Pay Transparency Directive was published for public consultation on February 26, 2026, with the consultation period closing March 27. The proposed effective date is January 1, 2027. The new parliament will need to restart the legislative process, adding further delay.

Key provisions in the Danish draft: salary range disclosure to job applicants; reporting obligations for employers with 100+ employees; broader scope extending to employers with 50+ employees where there are at least 8 employees of each gender in the same job category; first reporting due September 2028.

No draft legislation published as of January 2026. The Ministry of Economic Affairs missed its initial summer 2025 target for releasing a draft bill.

Preparatory work continues; the government still expects to meet the June 7, 2026 deadline.

Reporting will apply to approximately 900 organisations (1% of all employers); first reports due in 2027 based on second-half 2026 data.

Digital tool "Palgapeegel" under development to help employers detect and close pay gaps.

Draft bill submitted to Parliament in late 2025. Entry into force targeted for May 18, 2026.

"Pure implementation" approach, closely aligned with directive minimum requirements. Reporting threshold: 100+ employees.

Noncompliance fines confirmed at €5,000–€80,000 (among the highest in the EU).

Pay audits already mandatory every two years for companies with 30+ employees.

Last update: March 19, 2026 — Final social partner consultation meeting held March 19. Draft bill (9 articles, private sector) first transmitted March 6. CCFP consultation planned for April-May 2026. Parliament deposit targeted end of May.

Key provisions: 7 new pay equality indicators replacing the current Index égalité. Salary ranges mandatory in job postings. Salary history ban. Employee right to information on average pay by gender. Reporting: companies 100–249 employees every 3 years (150+ from 2027, 100–149 from 2031). Threshold maintained at 50+ employees. Joint pay assessment triggered at 5%+ unjustified gap. Burden of proof reversed. Administrative fines proportional to payroll + exclusion from public procurement.

France will miss the June 7, 2026 deadline. Adoption targeted for September 2026 at the latest.

Minister Prien's commission delivered its final report in November 2025. A Referentenentwurf (draft bill) is expected in early 2026, building on the existing EntgTranspG (2017).

Key specifics: First pay gap reports based on 2026 payroll data, reporting threshold at 100+ employees, extended co-determination rights for works councils (Betriebsrat), sanctions based on company revenue with possible exclusion from public procurement.

No draft law or timeline published yet.

No draft law or timeline published yet.

Last update: March 10, 2026 — Department of Children, Disability and Equality confirmed Ireland will miss the June 7, 2026 deadline. Implementation on a "phased basis". Employers won't be penalised. Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) warned that workers with valid claims could seek compensation backdated to June 7, 2026 — creating direct effect liability.

Key provisions (expected): Two-bill strategy: (1) Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill covering salary ranges in job ads and salary history ban (pre-legislative scrutiny completed October 2025), (2) standalone Pay Transparency Bill (General Scheme not yet published). Pay secrecy clauses prohibited. Reporting for 50+ employees. Joint pay assessment where gap exceeds 5%. No Heads of Bill published yet.

Ireland was fined €1.54M by CJEU in August 2025 for missing the Work-life Balance Directive deadline — precedent for infringement consequences.

On February 5, 2026, Italy's Council of Ministers approved a draft Legislative Decree implementing Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency. The Senate's Labor Commission delivered a favorable opinion with observations on March 11, 2026. The decree now moves to the Chamber of Deputies before returning to the Council of Ministers for final adoption.

Italy remains on track to meet the June 7, 2026 transposition deadline and is expected to be one of the first major EU economies to complete transposition.

Key provisions: salary ranges mandatory in job advertisements, salary history ban, reporting threshold at 100+ employees, joint pay assessment triggered at 5%+ unjustified gender pay gap. Classification of 'equal work' and 'work of equal value' anchored to national collective bargaining agreements (NCBAs). Individual pay components excluded from pay level definition.

Companies with 50+ employees must make pay criteria and levels accessible to all employees. Employers must respond to employee pay information requests within two months. Burden of proof reversed in pay discrimination cases.

No draft law published yet.

Existing requirement: salary indicated in job postings since 2018.

A partial draft was announced in late 2025 but not formally published.

Salary indication in job postings mandatory since 2022. Internal pay structures mandatory from 20 employees.

No public activity reported. No draft law published.

Internal pay report to employee representatives every two years from 50 employees.

Voluntary tool ("Logib-Lux") available to analyse pay gaps.

Partial obligations effective since August 2025.

One of the few EU countries with live enforcement of some directive provisions.

The Netherlands has delayed implementation to January 1, 2027 (later than the June 7, 2026 EU deadline). The European Commission formally rejected this delay on December 18, 2025 and has warned of infringement proceedings under Article 258 TFEU.

Amended draft bill submitted to the Council of State (Raad van State) on January 20, 2026 for advisory opinion. Update March 2026: The explanatory memorandum clarifies that employers with 150+ employees will submit their first pay gap report by June 7, 2028, covering calendar year 2027 data — one full cycle behind the directive's own June 7, 2027 first-report deadline.

Key specifics: 1:1 transposition approach (minimal gold-plating), reporting for 150+ employees every 3 years and 250+ annually, joint pay assessment triggered at 5%+ unjustified gap with 6-month rectification window. Works council involvement required for corrective measures. Direct effect of the directive may apply from June 7, 2026 despite the national implementation delay.

One of the most advanced implementations in the EU. Phase 1 live since December 24, 2025 (recruitment transparency rules in force). Full draft published December 16, 2025, targeting June 7, 2026 for full entry into force.

Key specifics: Annual March 31 notification to employees of their rights, 30-day response time for information requests (vs 2 months in directive), fines PLN 2,000–60,000. Draft job evaluation tool published alongside the legislation.

No draft law published yet.

Working group established. Draft legislation under development but not yet published.

No formal timeline announced.

Draft bill published in mid-2025. Entry into force expected June 1, 2026, covering both public and private sectors. Penalties up to EUR 4,000 per breach. Applies also to judges.

No draft law published yet.

Working group active in H2 2025. Spain benefits from strong existing equality legislation (equality plans and pay audits already required). Targeted updates needed for recruitment transparency requirements under the directive.

On March 26, 2026, Sweden announced it will not submit the pay transparency directive proposition to the Riksdag and will instead push at EU level for a postponement of the deadline and a full renegotiation of the directive. Minister Nina Larsson stated the directive is "far too administratively burdensome" and risks "undermining its own gender equality goals."

Sweden originally voted against the directive in 2023. The government's position is that the directive's job evaluation and "equal value" work assessment requirements are incompatible with Sweden's collective bargaining model. Existing obligations under the Discrimination Act (lönekartläggning for employers with 10+ employees) remain in force.

Previously, Sweden had proposed implementation by January 1, 2027, with first salary reports to the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) due by May 20, 2028. These timelines are now suspended pending the outcome of EU-level negotiations.

Key provisions from the suspended draft: obligations for 10+ employees for national pay analyses; EU-aligned reports for 100+ employers; fines SEK 150,000–500,000.