EU institutions on Wednesday struck a deal to ensure there is an "adequate minimum wage" in each member state and to strengthen wage negotiations between unions and companies.
Twenty-one of the EU's 27 member states have a minimum wage that ranged on January 1, 2022 from 332 per month in Bulgaria to 2,257 per month in Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, wage levels in the six other member states — Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden — are determined through collective bargaining.
According to the new EU Directive, the minimum wage will be considered sufficient if it ensures a decent standard of living which member states can calculate by establishing a basket of goods and services at real prices.
Alternatively, they can set the minimum wage at 60% of the gross median salary or 50% of the gross average wage.
The new EU law, which still needs formal approval from the parliament and EU Council, will also force member states in which less than 80% of the workforce is protected by a collective agreement to create an action plan to increase this coverage.
Below we break down some of the individual member states' policies.
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