Want to maximise your annual leave? Here’s how to use public holidays to your advantage

20.02.2024 - 02:11 / euronews.com

In the EU, all employees are entitled to a minimum of four weeks’ paid holiday per year.

Some countries set this figure higher, while others have a calendar of public holidays that can be used to maximise your annual leave.

Taking time off work not only boosts your mental and physical health but also helps increase productivity and performance when you return, according to European Employment Services (EURES).

So how does your country’s annual holiday allowance stack up?

Here’s which European countries offer the most leave, and which have the most public holidays.

The minimum statutory annual paid leave differs across the EU, ranging from 20 days per year in most member states to 25 days in some countries.

Eighteen countries offer the minimum under EU law - 20 days - according to 2020 data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These include Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

Outside of the EU, Switzerland also offers 20 days, while the UK minimum is 28 days, including bank holidays.

Austria, France, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark offer a minimum of 25 days statutory annual paid leave per year.

Companies are at liberty to offer more than the minimum annual leave allowance. Often, this is determined by years of service, type of contract and occupation.

Collective bargaining, for example through unions, has also boosted workers’ paid leave by as much as five days per year in some European countries.

Sick leave, weekly rest, maternity, long service leave, parental leave and - in most countries - public holidays are calculated separately from paid annual holiday leave.

In 2020, the statutory annual public holidays among EU countries varied from six days in Greece to 15 days in Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. It was more than 10 days for most member states. The EU average was 11.7 days.

National public holidays are the non-working days in which a variety of cultural and religious holidays, including national and independence days, are enshrined in statutory legislation. They can also exist de facto as unwritten cultural traditions and may vary by year.

Combining minimum paid leave and public holidays in the EU, Greece has the lowest allowance at 26 days while Austria and Malta offer the highest at 38 days. The EU average is 33 days.

When a public holiday falls on a weekend or rest day, practices differ by country. In some places, it is offered in lieu on the next working day. In others, no extra days off are provided. When employees are required to work on public holidays, it is often down to the employer to decide whether to offer days off in