Berlin, Nov. 4 (Reuters): In a move derided by opponents as ?unpatriotic?, the German government has decided to shift the October 3 unification day holiday to a Sunday in order to bolster its economy.

Economy minister Wolfgang Clement today confirmed the move, which will effectively cut the number of public holidays in Germany by one.

?Nobody would lose anything if the holiday was moved to Sunday,? Clement said. ?We will still have a day on which we can reflect on what we have in common as a nation,? he said, adding that the importance of the day had not suffered this year, when October 3 happened to fall on a Sunday. ?It?s a good and correct step.?

Shifting the holiday, which was introduced after East and West Germany were reunited on October 3, 1990, will give Germany one extra working day, potentially boosting growth by 0.1 percentage point, according to economists? estimates.

The plan to change the holiday had been widely trailed in the German press and was criticised by some as disrespectful to the historic struggle for unification.

The east-German newspaper Maerkische Zeitung said the move was ?unpatriotic? and said Eichel was sending the wrong historical signals. ?Imagine the comparison if July 14 was taken from the French,? it said in an editorial.

The move comes at a time of national soul-searching about the speed and manner in which the two Germanys were united after the fall of the Berlin wall in November 1989.

Despite billions of euros in transfers to former East Germany, the unemployment rate there is more than double the rate in former West Germany. A recent survey showed one in five Germans would like to see the Berlin wall back in place.

Germany has amongst the highest number of public holidays in Europe with some, mainly Catholic, states enjoying as many as 12 days a year. However Germany?s federal system means the government in Berlin has the power to change only two of these ? the May 1 Labour holiday and unification day.