A survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that British and Dutch workers, who receive 28 days off a year, get shorter vacations compared to employees in other countries in the European Union (EU), while Finish workers were given the most time off with 38 days of vacation per year. On average, workers in the EU get 34 days off a year, as it is the general policy in Europe to give generous amounts of minimum required vacation. Other countries in the EU want Britain to extend vacation time because they believe that longer working hours give them an unfair advantage. EU officials are trying to standardize vacation time to a certain extent in order to make coordination across counties easier.
See "British, Dutch Get Less Vacation", Los Angeles Times, August 11, 2003