EU Parliament MEPs recently voted, in a non-legislative resolution, urging the EU Commission to table fresh legislation "providing for more effective means of supervising the implementation and enforcement in member states".

Malta is among those states with the narrowest gender pay gap.

The MEPs argued that despite the EU's 2006 Directive on equality between men and women in the labour market in pay persists, and some say the difference between is even growing.

The resolution, which passed with 344 votes in favour, 156 against with 68 abstentions

The resolution was approved by 344 votes, with 156 against and 68 abstentions, called for harmonized neutral job classification and evaluation; objective criteria for comparing work of "equal value"; wage transparency (to reveal bias against women and pay discrimination); free legal aid for victims of discrimination; the prohibition of any discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or gender reassignment; the reconciliation of work and private life (preventing unfair dismissal during pregnancy; and positive measures to step up the involvement of women in decision making.

"Equal pay for equal work is a fair principle that must be valued by all employers. Today, this is not the case, which is why we need better legislation", said rapporteur Anna Záborská (EPP-SK).

Only in the Netherlands and France does the Directive's transposition into national law appear to be "sufficiently clear and correct", according to an EU Commission report on the application of the 2006 Directive. The gender pay gap is widest in Estonia, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and narrowest in Poland, Italy, Malta and Slovenia.

Call for sanctions

In view of the lack of progress in closing the gender pay gap, MEPs proposed mandatory pay audits for large stock exchange listed companies and possible sanctions at EU level in cases of non-compliance (such as excluding companies from EU budget-funded public procurement of goods and services or financial penalties for employers who do not respect wage equality).