France Plans to Abolish Two National Holidays

European Union countries are continually devising increasingly exotic methods to address budget deficits. Recently, French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced how much his government aims to save by canceling two national holidays.

The authorities plan to eliminate two days following Easter and Victory Day on May 8 from the list of official non-working days. This measure is expected to save approximately €4.2 billion for the national budget.

Official Paris cites the British example—where the UK has only eight public holidays compared to France’s eleven—and considers that sufficient. However, EU nations are exploring even more extensive initiatives.