BRUSSELS – European Commission proposed to end seasonal clock changes in Europe in 2019, giving the European Union member states the freedom to decide once and for all whether they want to permanently apply summer- or wintertime.
If the European Parliament supports the proposal, the last mandatory seasonal clock change in the EU will take place on March 31, 2019.
European countries have been switching to daylight saving time to save energy during summer since the early 20th century. But in the recent years studies questioned the effectiveness of this practice while citizens increasingly complained about negative health impacts.
Now, the European Commission offers that the EU countries drop the practice and pick one time – winter- or summertime – which they want to stay on. But the move needs to be coordinated, according to the commission, to safeguard the functioning of the internal market and avoid fragmentation, which could arise if some member states kept seasonal clock changes arrangements while others discontinued them.
“This very ambitious timetable will allow citizens to reap the benefits without delay,” EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said presenting the proposal in Brussels on Sept. 14. “We are now inviting member states and businesses to make the necessary preparations to ensure a coordinated approach across the EU.”
For a smooth transition, each of the 28 member states would notify by April 2019 whether it intends to apply permanent summer- or wintertime. The last mandatory change to summertime would take place on March 31, 2019. After this, the member states wishing to permanently switch back to wintertime would still be able to make one last seasonal clock change on Oct. 27, 2019. Following that date, seasonal clock changes would no longer be possible.
The European Commission’s proposal will now go to the European Parliament and the Council for their agreement.
The Commission stated that clock changes have been increasingly questioned by citizens, by the European Parliament and by a growing number of member states. Building upon the request of the European Parliament, and as part of an assessment of the current arrangements, the Commission held a public consultation in summer 2018, which received 4.6 million responses. 84 percent of respondents were in favor of ending seasonal clock changes.
Currently there are three standard time zones in the EU: Western European Time (Ireland, Portugal, UK), Central European Time (17 Member States) and Eastern European Time (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania). Member States choosing to keep permanent summertime will automatically change to the next time zone (standard time plus 1 hour). In addition, Member States will remain free to make changes to their standard time which are not linked to seasonal changes. The proposal foresees that the Commission is notified of any change to the time zone six months in advance – enabling any adjustment to time-based systems to be made in time.
European countries introduced summertime arrangements in the last century to save energy, particularly in times of war or during the oil crisis of the 1970s. Starting in 1980, the European Union gradually adopted legislation putting an end to the diverging schedules of the national clock changes. In 2018 however, the purpose of clock changes has become much less relevant, with studies suggesting that energy savings are now marginal and citizens increasingly complaining about negative health impacts.
