Removal of public holidays: Matignon reassures Alsace and Moselle

The announcement left elected officials in Alsace and Moselle gasping. On Friday, August 8, the Prime Minister sent a guidance document to the social partners, in preparation for the discussions scheduled to take place starting September 1.

This text, revealed on August 10 by AFP and Les Echos , reaffirms François Bayrou's desire to eliminate two public holidays in order to find savings for the 2026 budget: Easter Monday and May 8. "The possible specificities to be planned for Alsace, Moselle and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon could also be discussed," the document issued by Matignon further specifies.

Under these conditions, elected officials in the Grand Est region had reason to believe that the public holidays specific to their territories – Saint-Etienne Day, celebrated on December 26, and Good Friday – were also under threat. On Sunday, Haut-Rhin MP (Renaissance) Brigitte Klinkert rushed to contact the Prime Minister to ask for an explanation. "He told me he was only talking about national public holidays," she confirmed to Le Monde.

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