葡萄牙紧缩升级 削减公共假期

葡萄牙的经济紧缩政策进一步升级，政府于近日宣布，自2013年起的五年内，公众将暂停享受4个公共假期。政府希望此举可以提高竞争力、刺激经济活动。此前，葡萄牙政府已经采取公共部门减薪和增税等措施削减预算赤字、应对经济危机。被削减的四个公共假期分别为11月1日的万圣节，基督圣体节（在复活节之后，与之相隔60天），10月5日葡萄牙共和国成立纪念日，以及12月1日葡萄牙脱离西班牙统治的独立纪念日。在选择要削减的宗教节日时，葡萄牙政府还特意征询了梵蒂冈天主教教廷的意见。

Portugal has taken austerity measures to a new level with the decision to scrap four of its 14 public holidays.

Two religious festivals and two other public holidays will be suspended for five years from 2013.

The decision over which Catholic festivals to cut was negotiated with the Vatican.

Portugal has already cut public sector wages and raised taxes to reduce its budget deficit and deal with its economic crisis.

The country agreed a 78bn euro bailout deal with the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund last year and recently passed the latest review of its spending cuts.

It is hoped the suspension of the public holidays will improve competitiveness and boost economic activity.

The four days affected are All Saints Day on 1 November; Corpus Christi, which falls 60 days after Easter; 5 October, which commemorates the formation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910; and 1 December, which marks Portuguese independence from Spanish rule in 1640.