France’s PM Proposes Scrapping Two Public Holidays to Curb Soaring National Debt
PARIS — Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed eliminating two major public holidays Easter Monday and May 8 in a controversial move aimed at slashing France’s rising national debt and funding a spike in defense spending.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, who has held office since December, unveiled the plan during a press briefing Tuesday, warning that France is “in mortal danger” of being overwhelmed by its fiscal burden. The eurozone’s second-largest economy is currently running a deficit of 5.8% of GDP. The government wants to bring that down to under 3% by 2029.
“If we want to stay on course, we need to find more than €40 billion,” Bayrou said. He estimated that France’s debt increases by €5,000 every second.
Standing before a podium labeled “The Moment of Truth,” PM Bayrou detailed a slate of cost-cutting measures in his 2026 budget plan, including a freeze on public spending, elimination of tax exemptions for high earners, and downsizing the civil service. But it was his proposal to cut the two May holidays that drew immediate public attention.
He argued that the current calendar had turned the month of May into “a Swiss cheese full of holes,” citing frequent breaks that disrupted productivity. He dismissed Easter Monday as having “no religious significance” and said the country must “work more, produce more.”
The move sparked backlash across the political spectrum.
The far-right National Rally (RN) party condemned it as an attack on both French history and the working class. RN leader Marine Le Pen accused PM Bayrou of choosing to “punish the French, workers and pensioners, instead of slashing wastage.” She warned that her party would vote to bring down the government if the plan remained unchanged.
Green Party leader Marine Tondelier also objected to removing May 8, which marks the Allied victory in Europe in 1945. “You can’t erase remembrance with budget cuts,” she said.
On the left, France Unbowed (LFI) leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for Bayrou’s resignation, labeling the proposal “unacceptable.”
Bayrou, however, defended the plan as basic math. “This isn’t ideology. It’s arithmetic,” he said, responding to journalists’ questions after his address.
France PM Bayrou’s proposal comes just months after the collapse of Michel Barnier’s short-lived government. Barnier, Bayrou’s predecessor, lost a no-confidence vote last year after pushing through austerity measures by executive decree.
Now, PM Bayrou faces a similar threat. Opposition leaders have vowed to reject the budget when it comes up for a vote this fall. If the government fails to secure enough support, another no-confidence vote could force its collapse the second in two years.
That would leave President Emmanuel Macron with few options. He could appoint another prime minister, install a technocratic government, or call new elections. With his approval rating below 25% and deep divisions in Parliament, none of those paths offer an easy solution.
Despite the political risks, PM Bayrou stood firm. “We are committed to restoring the nation’s finances,” he said. “Even if it comes at a cost.”
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