The German government has shifted the responsibility of potentially scrapping a public holiday to boost the economy to the regional states, according to a spokesperson. Sebastian Hille, the deputy government spokesperson, stated that, formally, only one public holiday falls under federal jurisdiction, which is the Day of German Unity. He left open the possibility of this holiday being used as a working day, but emphasized that the decision ultimately lies with the states.
The discussion on scrapping public holidays for economic reasons is not new, Hille said and the government has taken note of the latest findings of a report by economic experts. The government is aware of the challenging economic conditions the country is facing and is working to implement measures to stimulate the economy as soon as possible, despite being under budget constraints.
In recent weeks, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly emphasized the need for Germans to work more and two economic experts, Monika Schnitzer and Veronika Grimm, have suggested that scrapping a public holiday could be a viable option. According to a calculation by the Institute of the German Economy, an additional working day could contribute between five and 8.6 billion euros to the country’s gross domestic product, making up around 0.2 percent of the economy’s output. However, public opinion polls have shown that the idea is extremely unpopular.