Cyprus tops the list of European countries with most public holidays

A proposal by France's Prime Minister to get rid of two public holidays has prompted a discussion on where in Europe workers get the most additional days off, with Cyprus coming out at top of the list with 15 pubic holidays per year.

As reported by Euronews, 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 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, Euronews noted.

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," Euronews reported.

At the other end of the spectrum, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have 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.

* These countries contain regions with different amounts of public holidays

** England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9, Northern Ireland has 10.

*** Slovakia recently removed a public holiday