BLOG OVERVIEW: On March 30, 2026, Romania published a draft law to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive, with provisions that largely mirror the Directive while imposing tighter procedural requirements. Key obligations include candidate salary disclosures, a 30-working-day deadline for employee pay-information requests (shorter than the Directive’s two-month maximum), and an annual Q1 reminder of employee information rights. Gender pay gap reporting will apply to employers with 100+ employees on a phased timeline beginning June 7, 2027, with joint pay assessments triggered by an unjustified 5% gap that is not remedied within six months. Non-compliance carries fines up to RON 30,000 (approximately €6,000), enforced by Romania’s Territorial Labour Inspectorates.
Romania has taken a major step toward implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive (the Directive) with the publication of a draft law on March 30, 2026. While the proposal largely follows the Directive’s core framework, it introduces several tighter procedural requirements that employers should begin preparing for now.
What are Romania’s Proposed Pay Transparency Requirements?
Under Articles 5 and 6 of the draft legislation, employers must provide candidates with information on the initial salary or salary range for a role, based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, as well as any relevant collective bargaining agreement provisions applicable to the position. Employers must also make pay-setting criteria, pay levels, and pay progression criteria easily accessible internally. Public sector employers must additionally disclose salary scales.
Additionally, salary history questions are prohibited, and job advertisements and job titles must be gender-neutral. Recruitment processes must also comply with broader equal treatment and non-discrimination requirements.
Employers with fewer than 50 workers are exempt from the obligation to disclose pay progression criteria.
What are Romania’s Proposed Employee Right to Information Requirements and How do They Differ from the EU’s?
Under Article 7 of the draft legislation, employees have the right to request information about their individual pay and average pay levels, broken down by gender, for the same work or work of equal value. Requests may be submitted directly, through employee representatives, or through the National Council for Combating Discrimination.
When requests are received, employers must respond within 30 working days to employee’s request for information, which is shorter than the Directive’s two-month maximum.
Employers must also remind employees annually, by the end of the first quarter, about their right to request pay information and the procedures for exercising that right.
What are Romania’s Gender Pay Gap Reporting Requirements Under the Proposed Legislation?
Similar to the baseline requirements of the Directive, Romania’s draft legislation requires employers to report seven pay transparency metrics, including the overall gender pay gap, gender pay gaps for variable or complementary pay, median gender pay gaps, the proportion of men and women receiving variable pay, gender distribution across pay quartiles, and gender pay gaps by worker category broken down between base pay and variable pay components. Mandatory reporting will apply to employers with at least 100 employees:
- For employers with at least 250 employees: data is collected by June 7, 2027, and annually thereafter.
- For employers with 150-249 employees: data is collected by June 7, 2027, and every three years thereafter.
- Employers with 100-149 employees: data is collected by June 7, 2031, and every three years thereafter.
Employers will also face a joint pay assessment when:
- A gender pay gap of at least 5% exists,
- The employer has failed to justify this difference on the basis of objective and gender-neutral criteria, and
- The issue is not remedied within six months
What are the Sanctions and Enforcement Included in this Legislation?
The draft legislation introduces financial penalties for non-compliance. Employers may face fines of RON 10,000-20,000 (approximately €2,000–€4,000), increasing to RON 20,000-30,000 (approximately €4,000–€6,000) for repeated violations. The enforcement is carried out by the Territorial Labour Inspectorates.
What are the Next Steps Employers Should Take?
Even though the legislation is still in draft form, employers should begin conducting internal pay audits, documenting pay-setting and progression criteria, and establishing protocols for employee information requests.
DCI will continue monitoring developments and provide updates as needed. To stay up-to-date on the latest in EU Pay Transparency Directive news, sign up for our newsletter.
DCI Consulting helps employers turn complex EU Pay Transparency requirements into clear, defensible pay decisions before reporting becomes mandatory. We partner with your organization to establish or review worker categories, conduct required gender pay gap, develop targeted remediation strategies, and provide guidance on right to information requests. Visit our EU Pay Transparency Directive page to learn how your organization can prepare to confidently meet upcoming deadlines and subsequent reporting requirements.
