German Chancellor Angela Merkel | Bernd Von Jutrczenka/AFP via Getty Images Merkel calls for ‘comparable minimum wage’ across EU German chancellor stops short of supporting an EU-wide standard, as backed by Macron.

Angela Merkel called for the EU to look into ways to ensure countries have a "comparable" minimum wage, arguing there should be equal working conditions across the bloc.

Speaking at an International Labour Organization (ILO) conference in Geneva on Tuesday, the German chancellor stopped short of supporting a standard EU-wide minimum wage, which French President Emmanuel Macron backed at the same conference.

Merkel said that while Germany and other EU members already have a national minimum wage, it was necessary to look into "how we can have comparable minimum wages," taking into consideration the standard of living in different places. She added that the EU should "at least" work to ensure the same working conditions across the bloc.

The German leader, whose government has passed measures aimed at closing the gender pay gap, also complained that many companies still lack top female executives.

"Even in industrialized countries, the equality of women and men in the economy leaves a lot to be desired," she said.

In Germany, only one-third of women have been appointed to large companies' supervisory boards, Merkel said, but only "after we passed a law because for decades, all self-regulation had failed to bear fruit."

"Even today, it is still the case that in the largest industrial companies, there is no woman running such a company," Merkel said, referring to Germany. "That cannot and must not remain so."

Merkel, who is Germany's first female chancellor and does not plan to run again in 2021, has in recent months frequently raised concerns about the lack of women in senior roles.

"A female chancellor will not help if the economy does not make progress," she said with a smile.