Too many days off? Can France afford the holidays anymore?

France’s public debt has reached €3.3 trillion, or 114 per cent of GDP, with annual interest payments projected to hit €100 billion by 2029. Prime Minister François Bayrou’s 2026 budget proposes cutting two national holidays, freezing welfare, healthcare and civil service pay, and reducing the deficit from 5.8 per cent to 3 per cent by 2029 to avoid a Greek-style financial crisis

Explainers