Women in the European Union are paid 13% less than men doing the same job on average, despite equal pay being a requirement under EU law, according to the European Commission.
"One of the founding principles of the EU is equal pay for equal work or work of equal value." It was established in the Treaty of Rome in 1957," said the Commission in a statement.
"Yet progress on the elimination of the gender pay gap is stagnant this year and has been slow over the years," the report added.
To address the issue, the Commission established a Pay Transparency Directive, which went into effect in early June.
The directive, an EU statute, establishes a framework for implementing the concept of "work of equal value" and comparative criteria such as abilities, effort, responsibility, and working circumstances.
The guideline is intended to assist workers in identifying and challenging wage discrimination.