EU Considers Ending Daylight Saving Time Amid Ongoing Consultations

As Europe prepares to move its clocks forward one hour on March 30, the discussion surrounding the abolition of the semi-annual clock change continues. Since 2018, a proposal to eliminate the switch between winter and summer time has been on the table, yet progress remains limited. Currently, Poland, which holds the EU Council presidency, is actively engaging with member states to gauge their stance on the proposal.

According to a statement from the Polish presidency, there is cautious optimism about advancing the initiative. The statement indicated that the European Commission's recent work program does not plan to withdraw the proposal, prompting informal consultations with member states to determine the possibility of moving forward.

Concerns have been raised regarding a potential patchwork of time zones across Europe. The EU Commission's proposal would allow each member state to choose whether to adopt permanent summer or winter time while eliminating biannual time changes. Nevertheless, various countries have expressed apprehensions about this plan, particularly as a unified time zone is deemed beneficial for economic activities, especially in Central Europe. For instance, Austria has indicated a preference for a consistent summer time as the standard.

The movement towards potentially abolishing daylight saving time was ignited by a non-representative EU-wide online consultation, in which 84% of participants favored an end to the clock changes. The majority voted for a permanent summer time in 2018, with approximately 4.6 million responses received, including around three million from Germany. While the response was substantial, it represented less than one percent of the EU's population.

Currently, the practice of adjusting clocks occurs on the last Sunday in March and reverts on the last Sunday in October. Daylight saving time was initially introduced in Europe in 1973 during the oil crisis, aimed at conserving energy by extending daylight hours for businesses and households. France was the first to adopt this change.