In Europe it is standard to have twenty days of paid vacation, but some countries go far beyond this standard. Unlike some other countries worldwide, European countries have clear regulations regarding vacation days.
Yet there are clear differences on the map, with countries offering up to 28 working days of holiday. Because regional and local holidays differ so much in Spain, it can seem like Spaniards have a lot of time off. Yet the country is not among the first in the list of European countries with the most vacation days.
Spain’s evolution in vacation days
In Spain, the right to vacation has been established since 1931, when the Employment Contracts Act first gave access to “uninterrupted leave of at least seven days, if the employment contract has lasted one year.” A 1918 law had already provided paid leave, but only for civil servants.
Nowadays, a week’s holiday a year would be insufficient for many. The right to paid holidays in Spain is now governed by Article 38 of the Workers’ Statute. This stipulates that the holiday duration may not be shorter than 30 calendar days, which amounts to a minimum of 22 working days for every employee in Spain.
The search for more vacation days
With an increasingly globalised and connected world, some may decide to cross borders in search of better working conditions, including more vacation days per year. Where can you go for the most vacation days?
Estonia at the top
To help workers considering emigrating, Dutch portal EuoDev has compiled a ranking of the countries that offer the most vacation days within the continent. In general, European countries offer 20 days of vacation per year to their employees. This is the case in the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Albania, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Serbia…
However, Estonia stands head and shoulders above the rest by offering its employees a total of 28 paid vacation days. This number is normally also offered in Italy. This usually concerns contracts for government officials. However, the legal minimum in Italy is much lower: 20 days per year.
The followers
Poland follows behind Estonia with 26 paid holidays; Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and France with 25 days of holiday per year; and Greece, which has set a minimum of 24 days. It is important to note that in Poland and Greece this only applies to employees with more than ten years of experience. For those who do not meet this threshold, only 20 days off will be offered. Finland (24 days), Portugal (22) and Spain (22) complete the top ten. Among these we find Montenegro (21) and countries such as the Czech Republic, with 20 vacation days.
