First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and Commissioner Věra Jourová said:

"Gender equality, including equal pay for men and women, is one of the EU's founding values. But it is still far from a reality. For the past years, the gender pay gap has basically refused to budge.

This means that women work for two months a year for free in comparison to their male colleagues. This is a shocking and unacceptable injustice in the 21^st century Europe."

Furthermore, the Commission is publishing an expert report entitled "The enforcement of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value". The report provides a legal analysis with respect to the national legislative framework on judicial and non-judicial enforcement of the principle of equal pay in the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

For more information

• Read the full statement
• EU and national factsheets
• Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights on the topic of 'Women's Rights in Turbulent Times'
• More information on the Commission's 'Violence against Women' campaign
•  Expert study: The enforcement of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value

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