🇫🇷 “The month of May looks like Swiss cheese,” says Bayrou, urging bold action to fix France’s budget crisis.
France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou has ignited national controversy with a dramatic proposal to eliminate two beloved public holidays — Easter Monday and May 8 (Victory in Europe Day) — as part of a sweeping plan to curb the country’s ballooning national debt.
Speaking from a podium bearing the slogan “The Moment of Truth”, Bayrou outlined his 2026 budget blueprint, declaring that the eurozone’s second-largest economy is “in mortal danger” of being crushed by debt. The government must urgently find €43.8 billion in savings, he said.
A Gruyère Month & Hard Arithmetic
Bayrou described May as resembling a “gruyère” a cheese full of holes, due to the number of public holidays that disrupt productivity. His suggestion to cut Easter Monday (which he says lacks religious weight) and Victory Day (May 8) is intended to boost output and help close the deficit.
> “If we want to stay on course, we need to find more than €40 billion,” Bayrou said, warning that France’s debt is increasing by €5,000 every second.
Military Budget Rises as Public Sector Faces Cuts
While freezing public spending in most sectors, Bayrou confirmed plans to increase defence spending by €3.5 billion in 2026, with another €3 billion rise scheduled for 2027, in line with President Macron’s goals.
Other proposed reforms include:
Ending tax breaks for the wealthy
Reducing the number of civil servants
Freezing overall public sector growth
Political Fallout: No-Confidence Vote Looms
Bayrou’s proposals may not survive the political storm.
Both the far-right National Rally (RN) and the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) have condemned the move, calling it an attack on workers, history, and national values.
Marine Le Pen (RN): “Bayrou would rather hurt workers and pensioners than cut government waste.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI): “He must be ousted.”
With parliament bitterly divided, Bayrou risks facing the same fate as his predecessor, Michel Barnier, whose harsher budget led to a historic no-confidence vote and collapse of the government — the first since 1962.
🗳️ Snap Election or Technocrat Rule?
France’s fragmented legislature offers little room for compromise. If Bayrou’s government falls, President Macron may have to appoint an unelected technocrat prime minister — a move unlikely to sit well with MPs or the public.
Macron’s approval rating hovers below 25%, and calls for him to resign before his term ends in 2027 have grown louder. Still, the president remains firm.
“We want to change things and we will — despite the risk,”
Bayrou declared.
📉 France’s Budget Goal by 2029
The government aims to reduce the deficit from 5.8% (2024) to:
4.6% in 2026
Under 3% by 2029
But with battle lines drawn and unions mobilizing, Bayrou’s “moment of truth” could quickly turn into a moment of reckoning.
