Paid leave lost due to sick leave: Europe calls on France to comply

The news slipped under the radar. On June 18, 2025, France received a formal notice from the European Commission. The reason: the lack of a mechanism in national law allowing employees to postpone their paid leave when they fall ill. This reminder did not prevent the government from considering tightening current provisions regarding sick leave. A month after receiving this letter from the EU, it announced that it wanted to extend the waiting period , i.e., the period without payment of benefits in the event of work stoppage. This measure was unacceptable to the unions. "There are already people who are not taking their sick leave because of the delay without compensation, especially those in the most precarious situations," Denis Gravouil, a member of the CGT confederal office, lamented to Libération.

And according to the European Commission, the dysfunctions don't stop there. For those who are prescribed time off to recover and maintain their health, they then have to deal with the confusion between paid leave and sick leave maintained by companies. "However, since 2003, a European directive has enshrined the fundamental right to at least four weeks of