2 days ago
France may drop 2 holidays to plug 43.8 billion-euro budget gap
PARIS, France: French Prime Minister François Bayrou has ignited controversy by proposing to eliminate two public holidays as part of an ambitious plan to slash the national deficit by 43.8 billion euros (US$50.88 billion) next year.
The move, aimed at restoring France's strained finances, could cost him his job.
"The entire nation must work more to produce, to grow our economy, and to improve France's future," Bayrou said this week, outlining a package of spending cuts and revenue measures. Among the most provocative: eliminating two public holidays to boost productivity.
Bayrou, a fiscal conservative known for his hawkish stance on public debt, faces steep political resistance. His proposal echoes a similar attempt in 2003, when then-Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin replaced the Pentecost Monday holiday with a "solidarity workday" to fund care for the elderly after a deadly heatwave.
That reform led to chaos—some schools and offices stayed open, others closed, and confusion reigned over pay. Protests erupted, and Raffarin resigned just two weeks after a major EU referendum defeat.
Bayrou, who took office in December and has already survived eight no-confidence motions, is walking a tightrope. With budget debates looming, opposition parties on both the far right and the left are threatening to oust him.
"If Bayrou doesn't back down, we'll support a no-confidence vote," said Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Rally (RN), which holds the largest bloc in Parliament. Leftist leaders have also signaled support for toppling him.
Public sentiment appears equally skeptical. A snap Harris Interactive poll found 70 percent of respondents opposed canceling two public holidays, while 61 percent rejected Bayrou's proposed freeze on welfare spending.
"Everyone agrees sacrifices are needed," said 85-year-old Jean Claude Vie in Paris. "But is Bayrou making sacrifices himself? Maybe it's time he retired."
The plan has also drawn fierce criticism for its symbolic implications. Labour Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet hinted that companies might be asked to contribute more in exchange for longer working years, but offered no details.
One of the holidays on the chopping block is May 8, which marks the end of World War II in Europe. CGT union leader Sophie Binet called the idea offensive, especially at a time when "the far right is knocking on the door of power."
RN leader-in-waiting Jordan Bardella called the move "an attack on France's workers, values, and history."
Still, not everyone opposes the plan. Economist Charles Wyplosz praised Bayrou's budget proposal in Le Monde, calling it "courageous and broadly sound." He estimated the loss of two public holidays could add four billion euros in economic value annually.
But past attempts at similar reforms offer a cautionary tale. The Raffarin-era "solidarity day" still lingers in the French calendar—vaguely observed, poorly understood, and widely mocked as a "ghost holiday."
As France's financial and political pressures mount, Bayrou's bold proposal may prove either a defining act of leadership or his political undoing.
