The requirement of equal treatment and the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, which is a prominent offshoot of it, cannot be considered a negligible problem today, despite the fact that efforts to regulate it comprehensively have been on the agenda of EU legislation for decades. The principle of equal pay has been in the spotlight again in the last few years. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market has led to a renewed increase in the pay gap between men and women, with the result that pension differentials have started to creep upwards. Given that the pay gap has not yet been fully closed, the disadvantage must be addressed first, followed by measures to reduce it, then by the objective of closing the gap in the future, and then by all necessary measures to achieve this. In my study, I analyse the most relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, followed by an analysis of the innovations of the newly adopted Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.