11 public holidays in France: could one of them disappear, and if so which one?

This November 11, you took full advantage of it: a public holiday to go shopping or have a good time with your loved ones. A moment all the more appreciated when it occurs on a Friday or Monday. “We take advantage of long weekends like that. Plus the weather is nice, so it's impeccable“, smiles an onlooker seated on a terrace, interviewed in the TF1 8 p.m. report above.

In the context of French public finances in the red, the elimination of a public holiday appears as a possible lever to bring money into the state coffers. Would you then be willing to give up any of them? “I don’t want to sacrifice public holidays. None!”, replies, categorically, a passerby.

The mixed experience of Pentecost Monday

France has 11 public holidays. In detail, five concern civil commemorations and six Christian religious festivals such as All Saints' Day or Christmas. So if you really had to choose one, which one should you remove? “For me, it would perhaps be more of a commemoration”, a young active woman ventures. But then which one? “If there is one that should not be deleted, it would be Labor Day!“, tempers another young woman.

As you will have understood, the elimination of a new public holiday is debated in the streets as well as in the political class. Supporters of this measure estimate that it would bring in around 3 billion euros per year into Social Security coffers thanks to contributions. But in practice, the system is difficult to implement, as Claire Fournier, journalist in the economics department of TF1/LCI, explains. “It is not easy to put in place. We remember the controversies which followed the establishment of the first day of solidarity, so much so that it was completely unraveled. Today, it is no longer necessarily on Pentecost Monday It can also be split over the year as long as we work 7 hours for free for this day of solidarity.

With its 11 public holidays, France is within the European average. Spain has the most with 14 public holidays and the United Kingdom has the fewest with eight.

Will the removal of a new public holiday be included in the 2025 budget? The Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget and Public Accounts Laurent Saint-Martin is in favor, while Prime Minister Michel Barnier is against. Proof if there is one that the thorny subject is far from reaching consensus, in the government as elsewhere.