France’s Prime Minister, François Bayrou, has proposed eliminating two national holidays as part of a 2026 budget proposal to reduce overall spending while raising defence expenditures. Bayrou proposed cancelling Easter Monday and May 8, a day commemorating the Allied triumph at the conclusion of World War II in Europe. He claimed the many bank holidays had transformed May into gruyère, a Swiss cheese with holes, but he was open to alternative proposals. Bayrou’s budget faces rejection in parliament in the autumn, potentially leading to the collapse of his administration.
However, on Tuesday, he stated that France, the eurozone’s second largest economy, was “in mortal danger” of being crushed by debt. Standing in front of a lectern emblazoned with the words “The moment of truth,” Bayrou talked for over an hour, describing a series of bold actions he claimed would bring the annual budget deficit under control. These include freezing public spending for next year, cutting tax incentives for the wealthiest, and reducing the number of state servants. The budget must also take into account President Emmanuel Macron’s request for France’s defence spending to increase by €3.5 billion (£3 billion) next year and another €3 billion in 2027. The proposal to eliminate the two May public holidays, however, drew the greatest attention. Bayrou stated that Easter Monday had “no religious significance” and that the entire nation needed to work and generate more. His plan made headlines right away, and it generated criticism from many sides. The far-right National Rally (RN) party condemned it as an attack on French history and workers, while Green Party leader Marine Tondelier expressed regret that the day commemorating triumph over Nazism will no longer be a holiday. When pressed by reporters following his speech, Bayrou stated that his idea was “basic arithmetic”.
If we want to stay on track, we need to find more than €40 billion,” Bayrou stated, alluding to the €43.8 billion France must cut from its budget to reduce debt, which he claims climbs by €5,000 per second. According to Bayrou, the French government plans to reduce the deficit from 5.8% last year to below 4.6% next year and below 3% by 2029. The beleaguered centrist prime minister has only been in office since December, following Michel Barnier’s brief tenure. Barnier’s administration utilised executive powers to push his own law, which intended to reduce France’s deficit through a more stringent budget than Bayrou’s.
The idea was deemed unacceptable by the National Rally and left-wing parties, who all voted against Barnier, prompting the government to collapse for the first time since 1962. The same factions have threatened to do so again when Bayrou’s budget is put to a vote in the autumn. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the extreme left France Unbowed (LFI) stated that the PM must be removed, while RN leader Marine Le Pen accused Bayrou of preferring to “attack the French, workers, and pensioners, instead of slashing waste,” and pledged to bring him down “if he does not revise his plans.” However, Bayrou said his government “wanted to change things” to restore public finances and would do so “despite the risk” of a no-confidence vote.
Since last summer’s surprise snap election, the French parliament has been bitterly divided into three blocs that have refused collaboration. Another election could well result in a similar impasse. If Bayrou’s government dissolves, President Macron will be forced to choose a successor or appoint an unelected technocrat government, neither of which would be acceptable to MPs. His own popularity is less than 25%, and there has been widespread pressure for him to resign before the conclusion of his second term in 2027, which he has constantly refused.
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