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A debate has erupted in France over whether the country’s population works hard enough, after Prime Minister François Bayrou suggested getting rid of two public holidays to boost the economy.

“The entire nation needs to work more to produce and for the country’s overall activity to be more significant throughout the year, so that France’s situation improves,” Bayrou said at a press conference on 15 July. “Therefore, I propose that two public holidays be removed for the entire country.”

The prime minister suggested, for example, getting rid of Easter Monday, as it has “no religious significance” compared to Easter Sunday, and 8 May, which celebrates the end of World War II in Europe.

The proposal has sparked a discussion in French media and among social media users about how the country compares to its neighbours when it comes to public holidays, whether the French really do work less than other Europeans, and whether getting rid of public holidays would really help France’s ailing economy.

Bayrou claims that removing two such days would bring in tax revenues generated from economic activity, contributing to around €44 billion in overall savings.

The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, however, has projected a 0.06% boost to the economy, should the prime minister’s plan go ahead.

Official numbers from European Employment Services (EURES) reveal how many public holidays people in European Union member states, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland have. Euroverify also examined information from the UK government.

When comparing these figures, Cyprus is the clear winner for the number of public holidays, ranking at the top with 15 days. It is followed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Malta and Spain, which compete for second place with 14.

At the other end of the spectrum, we see Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands with just nine public holidays. However, when the United Kingdom is split into its constituent countries, England and Wales are at the bottom with eight days. Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has ten.

The comparison means that, with 11 public holidays, France ranks fairly average among European countries as things stand, coming in alongside Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Sweden. However, getting rid of two days would rank it among the lowest.

Holidays can vary by region and even year

Nevertheless, in true European fashion, there are various caveats and exceptions to the number of holidays that certain countries have.

For example, many countries contain regions that have different numbers of public holidays compared to the national amount. This is the case in Switzerland, where different cantons have different bank holidays, which can reach as high as 15.

The French regions of Alsace and Moselle also get two extra days compared to the rest of the country, and the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores have more days off than the mainland.

Sometimes the number of public holidays in European countries can vary by year, and some have half days off for some public holidays. This is the case in Iceland, for example, which counts Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as public holidays after noon.

Additionally, while Euroverify has not counted public holidays that consistently fall on a Sunday, such as Easter Sunday, in its ranking, sometimes the way the weekends fall does affect how many days off a country gets.

For example, France and other countries effectively lose a bank holiday if it falls on a weekend, whereas the likes of the UK provide “substitute days” in this case. In practice, it means workers will have the following Monday or Tuesday off if a public holiday happens on Saturday or Sunday.

Has anywhere in Europe ever scrapped any bank holidays before?

Bayrou’s proposal to remove two public holidays isn’t without precedent in Europe, and this can yield some insight into whether his plan would pay off.

Most recently, Slovakia’s government decided in June to stop giving 17 November (Day for the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy) as a day off, as part of a broader fiscal strategy not too dissimilar to the French proposals. The day will still be officially recognised, however.

In 2023, Denmark abolished its Great Day of Prayer, celebrated on the fourth Friday after Easter, to try and boost labour output and defence spending. Although estimates from the International Monetary Fund said that it only increased the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.01-0.06%.

Back in 2012, the Portuguese government announced that it would scrap four public holidays the following year as part of an austerity drive off the back of the financial crisis: All Saints Day on 1 November; Corpus Christi, 60 days after Easter; Republic Day on 5 October; and the Restoration of Independence Day on 1 December, celebrating Portugual’s indepence from Spanish rule.

The days were supposed to be suspended for five years, with those of religious significance having been negotiated with the Vatican. However, in 2016, the newly elected socialist government reinstated all four holidays early, overturning a deeply unpopular measure.

It’s not all about public holidays

Official public holidays are, of course, only one measure of how much time workers in a European country get off.

Europe in Motion reported in March that Andorra, Malta and Albania are the countries offering the most statutory annual leave across the continent, with France landing in the top half too.

Bulgaria gives the most maternity leave in Europe, on the other hand, and Bulgarian primary school students get the most school summer holidays — 15 weeks — compared to their neighbours.