With less than 15 months until the EU Pay Transparency Directive (“the Directive”) comes into force, many organisations are evaluating its impact and preparing for the changes it will bring.

Ireland has become the fourth EU member state to initiate implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive (EUPTD), following Sweden's proposal in May 2024, Belgium's transposition within the public sector in September 2024 and Poland’s proposal in December 2024.

In this analysis, we highlight some key provisions of the Draft Law, including whether the requirements goldplate compared to the EUPTD.  On 5 December 2024, a group of Parliament Members submitted upon their initiative a draft law on partial implementation of the EUPTD (the “Draft Law”). Although this is not yet a formal governmental initiative, it may be regarded as the first step towards implementation and initiation of the relevant legislative process as well as opening further discussions.

In this update, we provide an analysis of recent and important updates concerning the EU Pay Transparency Directive (EUPTD) and its transposition into Belgian law. With an impending deadline of 7 June 2026 for federal transposition, businesses in the private sector should begin preparations without delay.

Read our publication for insights from the EBA Report on Gender-Neutral Remuneration Policies and the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

Equal pay claims are notoriously complex. Such claims often involve multiple hearings, mountains of disclosure and detailed analysis of company pay structures and practices. Add 3,500 claimants to the mix and you could be facing over six years in the tribunal, as demonstrated by the recent Next judgment.

Overview of the EU Pay Transparency Directive and how, by setting new standards, the Directive will influence the development of future regulation in the UK.

Member States will have three years to transpose the Directive into national law, so by 7 June 2026. However, companies should start preparing now for the significant changes the rules will bring.

In the EU, women would have to wait for nearly 60 years (until 2086) to be remunerated equally. But EU legislators are making changes that might speed up the rate of change. In a nutshell, these are the key provisions of the Directive. 

Overview of the EU Pay Transparency Directive and how, by setting new standards, the Directive will influence the development of future regulation in Poland.