The German government will not implement the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive into national law by the June 7 deadline, instead postponing central requirements for companies until mid-2028. According to the magazine Politico, a spokesperson for the relevant Federal Ministry for Family Affairs told the news portal that “further coordination is necessary, so we will not meet the implementation deadline in early June”.
The spokesperson added that the directive should be implemented “restricted to necessary aspects, as bureaucracy-light and effective as possible”. Specifically, the reporting obligation and the right to information are now planned to become effective starting in June 2028, with an initial start date targeted for early 2027. This approach, the spokesperson noted, takes “concerns from the business community into account” while simultaneously creating “legal and planning certainty”.
However, former Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus (Greens) is pushing for a swift implementation. Paus told Politico that the law is overdue, emphasizing the goal of equal pay for women and men. “We all want equal pay”. She pointed out that Germany remains far behind in wage differences. “We are stuck at a 16 percent difference” she stated. On average, women earned 4.24 Euros less per hour than men. Paus concluded, “Nobody actually wants this. Nevertheless, this is the reality in Germany”.
