Pay Transparency

Spain has published its long-awaited draft Royal Decree to partially transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive. While the proposal appears to go beyond certain aspects of the Directive and under-implements others, the direction of travel is clear, and employers should begin their preparations now.

The EU Pay Transparency Directive requires Member States to implement new pay transparency rights by 7 June 2026, including pay range disclosure and bans on pay secrecy and salary history questions. Larger employers must report gender pay gaps from 2027, with joint pay assessments required where unjustified gaps of 5% or more persist.

This map shows, at a glance, which countries require employers to report, maintain or provide gender pay information. In doing, it shows whether employers must publicly report such information, report it on a non-public basis, provide it on request, or are not subject to any specific gender pay reporting obligations.

The Pay Transparency Directive is the EU’s latest effort to achieve its longstanding principle of equal pay for equal work.

In this article, we take a look at the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive. What will it mean for businesses? And what can employers do now to prepare for implementation in 2026?