Belgium
Pay Transparency
Impact date: May 2026 (date of request to the Commission) At regional level, a decree (amending an existing decree on combating certain forms of discrimination) applicable to employers within of the public sector of the French Community in Belgium, made changes which took effect on 1 January 2025 that aligns the current legislative framework with some elements of the Pay Transparency Directive. At regional level in Flanders, a draft decree (first approved in principle on 7 November 2025 and approved again by the Flemish Government on 27 February 2026) partially transposes the Pay Transparency Directive for employers within the Flemish public sector. It envisages entry into force on 7 June 2026 and remains subject to a vote in the Flemish Parliament.
On 26 January 2026, a proposal for a Resolution relating to pay transparency was formally submitted to the Belgian House of Representatives by members of the N-VA party. The Resolution is a non-binding political request calling on the federal government to take a minimal-intervention approach to transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, on the basis that Belgium's existing legislative framework already largely meets the Directive's objectives. The Resolution requests that implementation be limited to minor textual amendments to existing private sector legislation and the extension of pay transparency requirements to public sector employees at federal level.
At federal level, in late May 2026, Belgium has requested a six-month extension to implement the Directive. In that context, the government indicated that a number of interpretative and technical questions had been raised with the Commission, in particular regarding data protection constraints, the interaction with existing reporting obligations, and the practical implementation of transparency requirements.
Employer implications/action needed Employers should continue with their pay transparency preparations and continue to monitor the Directive transposition progress in Belgium and across the EU.
Employer risk N/A
Link N/A
Contacts
© Eversheds Sutherland. All rights reserved. Eversheds Sutherland is a global provider of legal and other services operating through various separate and distinct legal entities. Eversheds Sutherland is the name and brand under which the members of Eversheds Sutherland Limited (Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP) and their respective controlled, managed and affiliated firms and the members of Eversheds Sutherland (Europe) Limited (each an "Eversheds Sutherland Entity" and together the "Eversheds Sutherland Entities") provide legal or other services to clients around the world. Eversheds Sutherland Entities are constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local regulatory and legal requirements and operate in accordance with their locally registered names. The use of the name Eversheds Sutherland, is for description purposes only and does not imply that the Eversheds Sutherland Entities are in a partnership or are part of a global LLP. The responsibility for the provision of services to the client is defined in the terms of engagement between the instructed firm and the client.