Bulgarian Parliament Scraps 'Long Weekends'

There will be no merger of festive days and weekends if a holiday falls on Thursday or Tuesday, lawmakers have decided.

MPs have voted on first reading changes to Bulgaria's Labour Code that abolish the current rules under which Friday or Monday, respectively, is declared a holiday to merge it with a public holiday dated during the workweek.

For example, if May 06, the Day of St George, falls on a Thursday, Friday will not be a "day off" but a regular business day.

Under the current legislation, this would result in a "long weekend" from Thursday to Sunday, with either the previous or the next Saturday becoming a business day.

However, the new rules also envisage that if a public holiday such as St George or Christmas falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Monday after it will also be a holiday.