Alpha Jets of the French Air Force Elite aerobatic flying team “Patrouille de France”, perform a fly-over during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe, in Paris, France May 8, 2025. Thomas Samson/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
PARIS, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Negotiations over scrapping two French national holidays will need to be concluded by September 30 at the latest, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has said, according to a report by newspaper Les Echos, as the government seeks ways to narrow its repeated budget deficits.
Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk whose minority administration is walking a political tightrope, made the headline-grabbing proposal in July, when he outlined a series of deficit-reduction measures worth 43.8 billion euros ($51 billion) next year aimed at lowering France’s debt.
The prime minister has asked for bodies including unions, government officials and others to let him know if they want to hold open negotiations by Sept. 1, according to an internal document cited by Les Echos but not verified by Reuters.
Bayrou said as part of a recent budget proposal that he wants to scrap both the Easter Monday and Victory in Europe Day holidays, leading to an outcry from parties on both the left and far-right.
Les Echos said the letter also states that the choice of holidays identified was another issue that could be discussed.
Major trade unions CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC signed a joint declaration on Saturday denouncing Bayrou’s budget proposal and said they will hold a meeting among themselves on September 1 to decide how to organize themselves against the move.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.