The beginning of 2026 has seen no let-up in social unrest. While the first week of January was marked by a rise in warnings within European public services, the second week saw major sectoral conflicts crystallize, from Italy to Belgium and France. Everywhere, new budgetary rules and national constraints were perceived as the common thread linking these tensions, even though the forms of mobilization remained very different across the European Union.
Italy: A series of transport strikes (9–12 January)
In Italy, several calls for transport strikes took place around 9 and 10 January 2026, creating considerable uncertainty for travelers. According to notices published by the regional operator Trenord, there were significant disruptions to regional services in Lombardy, causing knock-on effects on national connections. Alerts compiled by travel information platforms (VisaHQ, Summer in Italy) and shared on social media identified several coordinated actions during this period, including rail strikes and disruptions to air and urban transport, although not all categories were affected equally across the country. Demands mainly concern wages, the renewal of frozen collective agreements, and the deterioration of working conditions, in a context where inflation continues to erode the purchasing power of workers, particularly in large cities and logistics hubs.
France: Ten-day strike by private practitioners (5–15 January)
In France, labor unrest has taken the form of an unprecedented movement by private doctors, which began on 5 January 2026 in protest against the 2026 Social Security Financing Act (PLFSS). Radio France Internationale (RFI) reports that several unions, including the UFML-S and especially the CSMF, called for a 10-day work stoppage. Their main demands include the abandonment of certain measures deemed coercive, the contestation of a budgetary trajectory labeled “punitive” for private practice, and the rejection of new digital control mechanisms perceived as administrative oversight. In its letter dated 5 January, the CSMF refers to an “extremely high” level of mobilization and estimates that the vast majority of private general practitioners and specialists are closing their practices, a claim supported by initial union estimates. Medical and social news sites report that the prolonged closures are putting increased pressure on hospital emergency departments and the SAMU (emergency medical services), with patients flocking to hospitals for unscheduled care. For the organizing bodies, the goal is to demonstrate that without sufficient funding for primary care, the entire French healthcare system is at risk of permanent saturation.
Belgium: Towards a five-day rail strike (26–30 January)
In Belgium, the week of 6 to 11 January 2026 was marked by an escalation in industrial action on the railways, with strike notices officially issued for the end of the month. According to reports from VisaHQ and other travel alert services, the CGSP-Cheminots / ACOD-Spoor and ACV-Transcom unions have announced a five-day national strike from 26 to 30 January 2026, which will affect both passenger and freight transport. Unions are particularly critical of a federal government plan to abolish civil servant status for new recruits at SNCB and Infrabel from mid-2026, which they see as a step towards further liberalization of the rail sector. In their press releases, they explicitly link this reform to the implementation of European directives on market opening and warn of a risk of deteriorating working conditions, safety, and public rail services, particularly in less profitable areas. For now, available sources mainly refer to internal coordination at the Belgian level, without confirming a fixed schedule of “European days of action” formally coordinated with French or German unions. However, the fact that these movements are developing in quick succession reinforces the impression of widespread opposition to the logic of liberalization and cost-cutting in public infrastructure.
“Budgetary walls” and the crisis of social resilience
Beyond the diversity of sectors, these struggles share a common backdrop: the return of European budgetary rules and pressure to bring public deficits under control after years of suspension due to the pandemic. Analyses published in various media outlets emphasize a shift in the focus of demands: it is no longer just a question of defending a pay scale or status, but of challenging the budgetary architecture that imposes cuts in health, education, and infrastructure in the name of numerical deficit and debt targets. In the Belgian rail sector, as in private healthcare in France and transport in Italy, those working in the field describe the same downward spiral: chronic staff shortages, increased workloads, recruitment difficulties, and a feeling that public services are only surviving at the cost of widespread exhaustion. What is new in early 2026 is that these struggles are no longer perceived solely as national crises, but increasingly as different fronts in the same battle against a European management model dominated by profitability and spending cuts. While trade unions denounce austerity, the European Commission maintains that these rules are necessary for long-term viability. Without answers, the “budgetary wall” risks becoming a symbol of a protesting Europe and of national governments turning a deaf ear.
Sources:
- RFI – French doctors begin 10-day strike over new budget : Article on the 10-day strike by self-employed doctors and private healthcare providers starting on 5 January 2026, the unions involved, and the reasons related to the 2026 Social Security Budget Law (fees regulation, sick leave rules, and digital management tools).
- CSMF – Conf’ Newsletter dated 5 January 2026 : Trade union communication detailing the reasons for the call to close practices and criticising the budgetary trajectory and regulatory measures in the 2026 Social Security Financing Bill.
- Kalstein / Health Policy – French Private Doctors Begin Strike to Protest Health Policy Measures : Summary in English on the scale of the mobilisation and its effects on the healthcare system.
- Impact European – France: Thousands of Doctors Protest Healthcare Reforms in Paris : Report on the doctors’ protest in Paris, highlighting slogans and key demands against healthcare reforms and budget constraints.
- Trenord – Strikes on 10 and 12 January 2026 : Official notice from the Lombardy regional rail operator regarding strikes on 10 and 12 January 2026, with a description of disruptions to regional train services.
- Summer in Italy – Italy strikes – public transport strike alerts : Practical information page summarising transport strikes in Italy in January 2026 (rail, public transport, impact on travellers).
- VisaHQ – Belgian Rail Unions Schedule 26–30 January Strike, Threatening Commuter and Cargo Flows : Article announcing the five-day national rail strike in Belgium (26–30 January), the unions involved and the reasons related to employment status and rail reforms.
- VisaHQ (FR) – Belgian railway unions announce strike from 26 to 30 January : French-language version detailing the expected impact on commuters and international traffic.
- VisaHQ – Five-Day Rail Strike Looms for Late January, Threatening Belgian Commuter and Cargo Flows : Update on strike preparations and negotiations with the government.
- European Central Bank – Meetings of the Governing Council and the General Council 2026 : Official calendar of monetary policy meetings for 2026, confirming that no monetary policy meeting will take place on 22 January.
- Banque de France – ECB publishes indicative operational calendars for 2026 : Press release on the publication of the ECB’s indicative operational calendars for 2026.
- Europe a Contre Courant – Revolt of European public services: 4 pillars of historic resistance against austerity : Feature article on public service struggles in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic and the impact of European budgetary rules.
