France to abolish Easter Monday holiday for budget savings
Paris is preparing radical measures to cut budget spending for 2026.
The French government plans to include in the 2026 state budget a provision abolishing two public holidays – Easter Monday and May 8 (Europe’s Victory Day). The report comes from the French newspaper Les Echos.
According to a letter from Prime Minister François Bayrou sent to business and labor associations, this measure is expected to bring an additional €4.2 billion to the state budget in 2026 alone.
The authorities justify the move by noting that the French work fewer hours than their European counterparts. For example, in Germany, full-time employees work 1,790 hours per year, compared to 1,673 hours for similar positions in France.
The Cabinet is open to compromise: if the abolition of these particular holidays meets strong resistance, the government will consider scrapping other public holidays instead.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that France topped the list of anti-Christian countries in the EU.
