On 27 July 2026, the EU Council published a Commission staff working document analysing data from all Member States on minimum wage protection and action plans to promote collective bargaining, as required by Article 10(3) of Directive (EU) 2022/2041. The document covers the period 2021-2023 and assesses both statutory minimum wages and collective bargaining coverage.
The analysis reveals that 20 Member States rely primarily on statutory minimum wages, while seven (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Sweden) provide minimum wage protection solely through collective agreements. In 2023, the highest statutory minimum wages were in Luxembourg (EUR 2,509/month), Germany (EUR 2,023), and the Netherlands (EUR 1,965), while the lowest were in Bulgaria (EUR 399), Hungary (EUR 615), Latvia (EUR 620), and Romania (EUR 622). When adjusted for purchasing power standards (PPS), the gap between the highest and lowest shrinks from a ratio of 6:1 to less than 3:1, with Luxembourg (1,872 PPS) and Germany (1,865 PPS) at the top and Bulgaria (674 PPS) at the bottom.
Between 2021 and 2023, all Member States increased their statutory minimum wages. The largest nominal increases were recorded in Hungary (40.8%), Romania (33.7%), and Lithuania (30.8%), while only Malta saw an increase below 10% (6.4%). In real terms, minimum wages recovered in most Member States in 2023, with the largest real increases in Latvia (13.7%), Romania (9.9%), and the Netherlands (8.4%). However, real minimum wages fell in Czechia (-4.6%) and Slovakia (-2.4%) due to high inflation.
The document also examines adequacy relative to median and average wages. In 2023, seven Member States had statutory minimum wages above 60% of the median wage or 50% of the average wage. The lowest Kaitz indices (ratio of minimum to median wage) were observed in Latvia and Malta (below 50% of median), while Bulgaria and Latvia had ratios below 38% of the average wage.
The working document accompanies a formal report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. It does not propose new legislative measures but provides the data foundation for future policy discussions on minimum wage adequacy and collective bargaining promotion under the directive. The analysis will inform Member States' efforts to improve coverage and adequacy, particularly in countries where minimum wages remain low relative to median earnings.