Malta and Austria have most public holidays in the EU
ALEANDER BALZAN
21.06.2006 @ 09:54 CET
A new report published by the British Trade Union Congress shows that Malta and Austria are the EU member states with most public holidays and annual holidays.
The report says that Malta has 14 public holidays and an annual leave entitlement of 24 days, while Austria has 13 public holidays and an annual leave entitlement of 25 – totalling 38 days in both countries.
Malta: Maltese and Austrian people enjoy the most holidays (Photo: European Commission)
Finland follows with 12 days of public holidays and 25 days of holiday a year while workers in both Sweden and France enjoy 11 public holidays and 25 days off work each year.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Netherlands is the country with the least public holidays – eight – and annual leave entitlement – 20.
Ireland has 9 public holidays and 20 days of annual leave while Belgium has 10 days of public holidays and 20 days of annual leave.
According to the same report, covering the EU and Norway, the average working time per week in the civil service was 37.9 hours in 2004.
In the new member states, the average was somewhat higher at 39.4 hours.
With 32.9 hours, Italy registers the lowest figure of weekly working time in the civil service followed by France, Portugal and Spain all at 35 hours.
The longest weekly working hours in the civil service were registered in Austria, Luxembourg and Sweden with 40 hours per week - still below the maximum of 48 hours a week as imposed by the EU's working time directive.
