Salo has caused her prime minister FranceFrançois Bairou, who proposed the abolition of two public holiday In the context of radical measures aimed at reducing the influential deficit of the country, stimulating its economy and preventing its “crash” from debt.
Describing the budget of 2026 on Tuesday (15.07.2025), François Bairou suggested that they be removed Easter Monday and May 8 considered as holidays and to become normal working days In France – though he said he was open to other options.
On May 8, France honors on the day of Niki, which marks the end of World War II.
The center prime minister said: ‘All the nation must work more to increase the country’s activity as a whole and to improve The state of France. Everyone should contribute to this effort. “
The ‘deadly danger’ of the deficit
France accepts pressures to reduce its public deficitwhich amounts to 5.8% of GDP, below 3% required by EU rules and limit public debt of 3.3 billion euros, whose annual interest, 60 billion euroscould soon be the highest expense of its budget.
Debt Mountain represents a “deadly danger” to a country “on the rim of the cliff“And” still addicted to public spending, “Bairou said, describing the measures that, he said, will cut 43.8 billion euros from the budgetreducing the deficit to 4.6% next year and 3% to 2029.
Other measures will include horizontal freezing of government spendingIn addition to debt service and defense sector, which, according to President Emmanuel Macron’s request, should be increased by 3.5 billion euros next year and more in 2027.
Compression of the budget will also imply pensions at the level of 2025, impose a ceiling on welfare costs and reduce the expenditure on health care by € 5 billion. Public Services salaries and government agencies will freeze and the number of jobs in the public sector will be reduced.
For 2026 there is a “white year” in the expenditure, with the budgets of the ministries – with the exception of defense and debt interest – to remain at 2025 levels. Bayrou announced cut 3,000 seats in public through non -replacement of one in three pensioners but also abolishing ‘inactive’ services with 1,000 to 1,500 additional positions to be removed. At the same time, social benefits and pensions will not increase, while tax rates will remain unchanged.
In the field of Healththe French Prime Minister announced Reduction by EUR 5 billion in the projected expenditure. The drugs that are not directly linked to the diagnosis will not be compensated Completely, while the involvement of drugs are doubled. In municipalities, the state is calling for savings of 5.3 billion euros, and part of their tax revenue will continue.
“The cancellation of two holidays is an immediate attack on our history”
The move to abolish public holidays is likely to encounter strong resistance, although France has previously discussed its merger Victory Day with Truce Day On November 11, creating a Single Day of Remembrance for Victims of First and World War II.
‘The cancellation of two holidays is one Immediate attack on our storyat our roots and in working France, “he said Jordan Bardella of the far -right National Alarm (RN), the largest single party in parliament. “No RN member will accept a measure that is equivalent to challenge.”
Other party leaders were equally condemning. The sentences were ‘an organized robbery“Fabienne Russell of the French Communist Party said. THE Jean Luke Melanson of the radical left LFI said that “it is time to dismiss Baitou” and “end this disaster, these injustices.”
A MP of the Socialist Party, Boris Vallaud, condemned him as “a brutal and unacceptable budget” And added: ‘Always asking for more than those who have few and so few of those who have a lot of, is neither serious nor effective, nor fair».
Macron’s decision to call early elections in 2024 brought a parliament without votes, to which Bairou does not have enough votes to pass a budget without the support of the left or right, who oppose his proposals for different reasons.
Without agreement, the prime minister could face a proposal similar to that of overturning his predecessor, Michel Barnier, as early as October, when the detailed budget bill is about to go to parliament.