The European Commission proposed a two-year plan on Monday for closing the gender pay gap after finding little improvement in the past five years. The plan sets out eight recommendations for EU countries to ensure women are treated equally in the workplace. The proposal includes setting minimum sanctions for companies that do not provide equal pay and monitoring the diversity policies of Europe's largest companies. The Commission intends the measures to be in place by the end of 2019... The proposals will need to be supported by the European Parliament and EU countries. In 2012, the Commission proposed legislation requiring that at least 40 percent of non-executive positions in listed companies be held by women in seven years. The proposal was not passed because it lacked a majority among EU countries... Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in 2014 set a target of 40 percent female representation in senior and middle management positions in the Commission by 2019. The Commission reported in March that the figure had risen to almost 35 percent from 29 percent in 2013.