PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Tuesday (Jul 15) that he wants to reduce the number of public holidays as part of an urgent plan to tackle what he called the "curse" of the country’s rising debt. Presenting his 2026 budget outline, Bayrou proposed scrapping two of France’s 11 public holidays, suggesting Easter Monday and May 8, the latter marking the end of World War II in Europe. UNDER PRESSURE TO CUT DEFICIT France is under EU pressure to bring its public deficit back under