Gender Pay Transparency Directive: EU holds firm on implementation despite Sweden’s push for changes

At a glance

• Sweden's attempt to push for changes to parts of the Gender Pay Transparency Directive (Directive), and potentially buy time on implementation, has hit a dead end.
• In response to a parliamentary question, the European Commission has confirmed that the Directive will not be subject to any regulatory simplification or delay measures.
• The question addressed concerns about the implementation burden of the Directive on employers, particularly smaller companies, and whether the Commission intended to simplify or delay the Directive's requirements.
• The Commission's response was unequivocal: it does not envisage including the Directive in any future omnibus regulatory simplification package or a ‘stop-the-clock’ measure. The Commission considers the Directive essential for the full realisation of the right to equal pay between men and women.