Renew MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová has raised concerns that Slovakia's transposition of the EU Pay Transparency Directive may fall short of the law's requirements, potentially limiting protections for workers and undermining uniform application across the bloc. In a parliamentary question submitted on 9 June 2026, the Slovak MEP asks the European Commission to assess whether several provisions of the national legislation are compatible with the directive.
The MEP points to three specific issues. First, Slovakia has excluded state servants holding public office, statutory office holders, and other senior public-sector officials appointed by the Slovak Parliament, President or Government, as well as members of the Slovak Government, from the scope of the national law. Cifrová Ostrihoňová asks whether this exclusion is compatible with Article 2 of the directive, which defines the personal scope.
Second, she questions the replacement of the directive's concepts of 'skills' and 'effort' with narrower national definitions, and the reduction of the requirement that relevant soft skills 'shall not be undervalued' to merely taking them into account. This, she argues, may violate Article 4(4) of the directive.
Third, the MEP notes that Slovakia has postponed workers' access to pay information rights beyond the transposition deadline of 7 June 2026, asking whether such a transitional period is compatible with Articles 7 and 34 of the directive, which do not appear to provide for one.
The question targets the Commission's role as guardian of the treaties and enforcer of EU law. A reply is expected within approximately six weeks and will signal the Commission's stance on the compatibility of Slovakia's approach. The outcome could affect workers' rights to pay transparency in Slovakia and set a precedent for other member states' transposition efforts.
Slovak workers may face delayed or reduced access to pay information if the exclusions and postponements stand. Slovak employers and public-sector bodies would benefit from a narrower scope and later deadlines, reducing administrative burden. The Commission's response will clarify the limits of member state discretion in transposing the directive, affecting legal certainty across the EU. Other member states with similar transposition choices may need to adjust their legislation.