It’s that time again: next Sunday we can sleep an hour longer. Because with the end of summer time, the hands are turned back from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. Whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages always leads to a lot of discussion on this question.
However, the end of the time change at EU level is still a long time coming. A corresponding Commission proposal from 2018 was already approved by the EU Parliament in spring 2019. However, since then the ball has been in the court of the Council, i.e. the EU Member States, which have not yet taken a decision. However, Member States would have to agree to the abolition by a majority. Council circles said the current Spanish Council presidency has no plans to do so.
Whether the issue will be put on the table again during the Belgian presidency of the Council in the first half of 2024 will probably become clear in the coming months when the Belgians present their work program. The last time a Council of Ministers discussed the issue was in December 2019, when the Council was still under the Finnish presidency.
The European Commission wants to abolish time changes
The European Commission’s proposal stipulates that there will be no more time changes. However, it should be up to each Member State of the Union to decide throughout the year whether to switch to summer or winter time. But many countries expressed concerns about this plan, partly because a uniform time zone seemed desirable for the economy, at least in Central Europe. Otherwise, the time differences between states would affect trade even more. Official Austria prefers constant summer time as standard time.
The process of abolition was initiated by an EU-wide online survey. At this event, 84 percent of participants supported ending the time change. Most voted for permanent summer time in 2018. 4.6 million responses were received, three million of which came from Germany alone – a record, but still less than one percent of EU citizens.
Idea comes from the oil crisis
Across the EU, the clock has so far been set to the last Sunday in March – and back to the last Sunday in October. Daylight saving time was introduced in Europe in 1973 on the occasion of the oil crisis and with the aim of saving energy. The time difference was intended to gain an hour of daylight for companies and households. France was the first to do this.
Austria only decided to introduce this in 1979 due to administrative problems and because it wanted transport harmonization with Switzerland and Germany. These two countries only introduced daylight saving time in 1980. However, daylight saving time already existed in the Alpine Republic during the First World War. In 1916 it applied to the monarchy from May 1 to September 30, but was then abolished. A second, ultimately unsuccessful, attempt took place between 1940 and 1948.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
