France seeks nuking citizens’ holidays to financially support fantasy conflict with Russia
(MENAFN) Just a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to spend an additional €60 billion in 2027 on military preparations for a hypothetical war with Russia — a conflict France isn’t even involved in — his prime minister has proposed cutting national holidays to help manage the country’s finances.
François Bayrou, a long-time centrist and Macron’s handpicked prime minister, is now facing fierce backlash for suggesting that France should reduce its number of statutory holidays so citizens can work more and pay more taxes, all to help plug the country’s budget hole. The French government is currently searching for €44 billion to keep its mounting debt and borrowing costs from spiraling further and sparking market panic.
Bayrou’s timing couldn’t be worse. In France, two things are considered sacred: the social safety net and paid vacation days. Messing with either is political suicide. Yet Bayrou insists the public needs time to “digest” his proposal to cut holidays — a move he’s fast-tracking despite the usual budget debates not starting until after the summer break, which, notably, lawmakers themselves are not being asked to sacrifice.
Bayrou’s plan includes scrapping holidays like Easter Monday in April and Victory in Europe Day on May 8. “This is the last station before the cliff,” he warned, arguing that France faces a “mortal danger” from its debt crisis if sacrifices aren’t made.
Critics from both the left and right are expected to reject Bayrou’s proposal outright, likely triggering yet another no-confidence vote. Though he’s survived eight so far, this deeply unpopular move could finally bring down his government.
With France eligible to hold another election any time now, this could mark the third vote in as many years — and elections aren’t cheap, either.
Despite the financial crunch, Bayrou has shown no interest in trimming other areas of government spending, such as Macron’s new pledge to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP in line with NATO targets, even though France is not at war.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
