PRESS RELEASE – Paris, 5 June 2026
Press contact: Muriel Gremillet (+33 6 15 24 65 15)
The European Pay Transparency Directive was due to be transposed into French law by 7 June 2026. That deadline will not be met. At best, a draft bill is expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers during June, with a parliamentary vote hoped for before the end of the year.
This delay should not create a false sense of security. The issue is already firmly on the agenda, social partners are actively engaging with it, and the cost of inaction for organisations is very real.
France misses the deadline, but pressure is mounting
Three years after its adoption at European level, the Directive has yet to be transposed into French law.
The reasons?
A crowded parliamentary agenda, combined with significant disagreements between trade unions and employers’ organisations. Trade unions argue that the proposed measures fall short of the Directive’s requirements, while employer representatives are concerned about the risk of over-transposition.
The CGT points out that women are still paid, on average, 25% less than men, while the CFDT has publicly expressed concern about the delay. When the debate finally begins, it is likely to be intense – and organisations will find themselves on the front line.
Waiting is a risk
The Directive introduces a number of far-reaching obligations, including the mandatory disclosure of salary ranges during recruitment, the calculation and publication of seven gender pay gap indicators, mandatory justification of pay gaps exceeding 5%, and a reversal of the burden of proof in pay discrimination cases.
Organisations that fail to prepare risk being forced to act under tight deadlines, facing higher remediation costs, increased litigation exposure, and more challenging employee and social dialogue.
Alixio Group has been supporting organisations for more than a year
Alixio Group has developed a comprehensive support offering covering the entire pay transparency journey, from compliance assessment through to implementation. This includes readiness evaluations, roadmap development, job and skills frameworks, the definition of categories of work of equal value, harmonisation of remuneration policies, social dialogue support, internal communications and change management.
Since mid-2023, Alixio has supported more than 60 clients on this significant cultural transformation, helping organisations prepare for the operational, organisational and people-related implications of pay transparency.
“The delay in transposition does not give organisations additional time. The parliamentary debate will place pay practices under greater scrutiny. It is far better to have done your homework before then.”
Ludovic Wolff, Director Rewards, Benefits & Share Plan, Alixio Group
