EU Reconsiders Ending Daylight Saving Time

The EU is taking steps to rescind a 2019 proposal to abolish Daylight Saving Time (DST) clock changes. Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokesperson for the European Commission, recently confirmed the move , though it is not yet final. EU Member states and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have time to submit their responses to the Commission before making a final decision.

EU Effort to End DST Deadlocked Since 2019

On March 26, 2019, the European Parliament voted in favor of the EU Committee draft directive to stop the one-hour clock change in the European Union by 2021.

It then stalled because of practical concerns, including challenges in coordinating time zones and implementation logistics. Events in the years that followed, like the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, also influenced the discussion and contributed to delays in implementing changes.

Now, the suggestion on the table is to keep the bi-annual clock changes. This might seem odd, since it’s a rather unpopular measure—see info box below.

Research suggests DST may not even accomplish what it was originally designed to achieve: saving energy. But then again, other studies have found the opposite to be true, and some experts highlight the advantages of DST that nobody talks about.

DST Clarity—Why Does It Matter?

For people living in the EU, the DST decision can affect everything from daily routines to travel plans.

Ending the practice might reduce the potential health impacts from changing the clocks, but it could also lead to time differences between neighboring countries.

Under the 2019 draft directive, each EU Member State would choose to stay on permanent summer time or standard (winter) time. Critics warned that this could result in a patchwork of time zones across the continent, leading to disruption in the single market.

Scrapping the directive would maintain synchronized time changes across the EU, supporting cross-border business and transport schedules.

Geography Makes It More Complicated

While political disagreement is part of the challenge, geography also plays a major role in the EU’s time change debate.

The EU spans three time zones, with Central European Time covering the most ground. A permanent summer time would delay winter sunrises to mid-morning in places like Belgium and Denmark, and close to 10:00 (10 a.m.) in northwestern Spain. On the flip side, permanent winter time could mean sunrises about a quarter past 3 in the morning in eastern Poland and a quarter to 4 in Berlin during summer.

Shifting time zones to match geography better could also create new complications—such as placing France and Germany in different time zones.

Who Wants to Keep—or Scrap—DST?

Public opinion on seasonal clock changes differs widely across Europe . Here are some examples of what various EU member states think:

• In Bulgaria, political parties have called for abolishing summer time, and citizens agree. Eighty percent of respondents in the 2018 EU poll were negative about the time change.
• In Italy, a recent petition , signed by 350,000 people, called for permanent Daylight Saving Time.
• Albania supports keeping the clock change, since it has around 300 days of sunshine each year, leading to energy savings.
• Meanwhile, in Romania, there is little public debate or political movement on the issue. But a recent study shows that 1 in 2 Romanians doesn’t find the time change necessary , and almost 8 out of 10 noticed changes in mood with the transition to winter time.
• In Norway, the clock change always raises public debate. However, the government highlights the importance of having the same time as neighboring countries and still relies on an EU decision .
• Denmark and Cyprus, the current and upcoming holders of the EU Council presidency, have little interest in advancing the issue.

“Outdated” Practice

In 2024, 200 organizations and public administrations worldwide called on the European Commission to resume efforts to end seasonal clock changes by 2026. In a shared statement , they described the practice as “outdated” and urged the EU to take action.

Poland—during its EU Council presidency through June 2025—actively pushed to revive the DST reform proposal, with the support of the European Commission, though it failed to secure agreement. Denmark took over the presidency on July 1, but still hasn’t addressed the issue.

One of the most prominent opponents of the European clock changes is Irish EU lawmaker Seán Kelly:

Will the US Impact the EU’s Decision?

Momentum for ending the seasonal time changes appears stronger outside the EU. In December 2024, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that DST is “inconvenient” and “very costly to our Nation,” pledging that the Republican Party would work to eliminate it.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk also got involved, asking on X what his followers would favour. The majority answered later sunrises and sunsets year-round.

Jørgen Bak, chairman of the Danish Association Against Daylight Saving Time, believes a US decision to abolish clock changes could influence Europe:

Europe’s DST History

DST was first standardized across the European Union in 1980 to maintain consistent time offsets within the single market.

Today, DST starts at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in March and ends at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in October. This schedule is followed by all European Economic Area (EEA) countries, except Iceland. Switzerland also observes the same DST period, even though it is not part of the EEA.

Frequently Asked Questions

We diligently research and continuously update our time zone information. If you find a mistake, please let us know.