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EU Observer (2 June 2026)

Caroline de GRUYTER

In 2024, the Great Prayer Day (Store Bededag), a public holiday in Denmark, was abolished. 

The Danish parliament cancelled the holiday, introduced in the 17th century, to increase tax revenue and fund higher military spending in the wake of the Ukraine war. 

The UK has slashed its development budget – amongst other things – for similar reasons. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, regularly warns that social sacrifices must be made in this “cruel world”.

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