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Responding to a parliamentary question raised in October, and
amid uneven progress on national implementation, the European
Commission has reaffirmed its expectation that all Member States
will transpose the Directive by the June 2026 deadline.
On 18 December 2025, the Commission issued its written response
to a priority question submitted by a Member of Parliament on 29
October 2025.
The Member of Parliament submitted their question following the
announcement from the Netherlands that it would be delaying the
implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national
law beyond the implementation deadline of 7 June 2026 (we wrote
about this further here). Against this context, the Member of
Parliament raised three queries:
“What is the Commission’s view of the Netherlands’
postponement of the Pay Transparency Directive?
Does the Commission have any current plans to revise the Pay
Transparency Directive with a view to cutting red tape for
Europe’s businesses and authorities?
What is the Commission’s estimate of the transition costs
to business and to the public purse, as well as of the ongoing
costs in the EU, of fully implementing the directive as it
currently stands?”
In its written answer, the European Commission confirmed as
follows:
“The Commission reaffirms that the Pay Transparency
Directive is instrumental for the full realisation of the right to
equal pay for the same work or work of equal value between women
and men and remains fully committed to its effective and timely
implementation. It expects all Member States to transpose the
Directive by the deadline of June 2026 […]”
In its response, the Commission details the measures taken to
support national administrations and social partners in transposing
the Directive, while also highlighting the preparatory work
underpinning the legislation – such as the Impact Assessment and
the incorporation of stakeholder input throughout its
development.
Key message for employers
At first glance, it may seem routine for the European Commission
to reaffirm the transposition deadline for a Directive. Yet this
statement comes against a backdrop of uncertainty over national
implementation. The Netherlands has already announced plans to
delay implementation beyond June 2026, Denmark has omitted an
implementing draft bill from its legislative agenda (see here), and progress across Member States
remains slow and uneven. These developments have sparked
speculation about how the EU might respond.
The Commission’s latest statement, however, leaves no room
for doubt: it is holding firm on the June 2026 deadline. For
employers, the message is clear – the clock is ticking, and the
EU’s timetable is not shifting.
The written question and answer are available here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.