France enjoys 11 national holidays today. There’s a heated debate among Germans about whether bringing this number down could save the country from its own staggering public debt of €3.3 trillion. This proposal may seem surprising given the country’s increasing financial woes, as the country is expected to add over €5,000 in debt per second.
By European standards, France has a small number of national holidays. Countries such as Slovakia are out in front with a staggering 15 holidays. England, Wales and the Netherlands have the fewest, with only 8 holidays celebrated each. Ireland and Denmark are in the middle of the pack with 10 national holidays. The argument over cutting holidays, revived by legislators looking for new ways to address France’s money problems, has brought legislative action on both sides of the Atlantic.
Historically, France’s national holidays have evolved significantly. In 1981, President François Mitterrand revived a holiday that had long been eliminated. This action was a big show of the country’s commitment to celebrating important anniversaries. It was in 2003 that a conservative government under President Jacques Chirac acted. They rolled out an innovative strategy to recycle holiday-time into a new purpose. The original proposal would have required individuals to report to work on one of these state holidays. We would direct all the proceeds into a fund that supports our nation’s elderly and disabled.
People protested from the beginning against this new holiday. Even that got whittled down to voluntary in the end, showing just how difficult it is to disrupt deep-rooted customs.
More recently still, François Bayrou has argued for abolishing two particular public holidays—Easter Monday and May 8—in order to rescue France’s finances. May 8 is a big deal. What it primarily celebrates is Victory in Europe Day, the end of World War II in Europe. This holiday was famously repealed in 1959 by Charles de Gaulle for reasons of cost.
The proposal has everyone from highway builders to environmentalists raising their voices in protest. Members of the political party Greens have expressed strong disapproval, arguing that such a move would “wipe from the collective memory the eradication of Nazism.” Benjamin Haddad countered this sentiment by stating, “Actually, it was De Gaulle who first did this, and I seem to recall he played a certain role in eradicating Nazism.” This back-and-forth captures the fraught balance between economic opportunity and historical commemoration.
France has the benefit of a May tradition of long weekends, as several holidays converge to form huge chunks of time away from work. The proposed cut in public holidays has the great potential to break this concept and ruin the quality of life of millions of citizens. Both legislators and the general public understand the historic and cultural importance of such days. The potential fiscal tsunami could leave them with little choice but to face some hard choices.