Headline: French PM Wants to Cancel Your Holidays to Save Money
France’s Prime Minister, François Bayrou, is causing an uproar. To tackle France’s massive debt – which he says grows by a shocking €5,000 every second – he’s proposed axing two public holidays in 2026: Easter Monday and May 8th (VE Day, marking the end of WWII in Europe).
Bayrou called the holiday-filled May a “gruyère” (Swiss cheese full of holes), arguing France simply needs to work more. He claims Easter Monday lacks religious significance and that cancelling these days is “basic arithmetic” to find over €40 billion in savings.
This controversial move is part of a tough budget package including freezing public spending, cutting tax breaks for the wealthy, and reducing civil servants. It also needs to fund a big boost in defense spending demanded by President Macron.
The idea landed like a bombshell. The far-right National Rally condemned it as an attack on workers and French history. Greens lamented losing the holiday commemorating victory over Nazism. Leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for Bayrou’s ouster.
Bayrou admitted his government is in “mortal danger” from debt. But his budget faces an even more immediate danger: being voted down by a deeply divided parliament this autumn, which could collapse his government. Opposition leaders are already vowing to bring him down over these cuts. France’s political rollercoaster looks set for another wild ride.