French government sets Sept 30 deadline for talks on scrapping two holidays, Les Echos reports

Alpha Jets of the French Air Force Elite aerobatic flying team "Patrouille de France", perform a fly-over during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe for the 80th anniversary of VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe, in Paris, France May 8, 2025. Thomas Samson/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) -Negotiations over scrapping two French national holidays will need to be concluded by September 30 at the latest, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has said, according to a report by newspaper Les Echos, as the government seeks ways to narrow its repeated budget deficits.

Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk whose minority administration is walking a political tightrope, made the headline-grabbing proposal in July, when he outlined a series of deficit-reduction measures worth 43.8 billion euros ($51 billion) next year aimed at lowering France's debt.