Clocks were turned forward by one hour on Sunday morning in most European countries as daylight saving time started ahead of summer.
The controversial time-change sees clock go forward an hour every year on the last Sunday of March and back an hour on the last Sunday of October.
Initially introduced in the previous century as a power-saving strategy, nowadays many question the relevance of the time changes, with the European Union going as far as attempting to abolish the system back in 2018.
What is daylight saving time, and why did it come about?
During summer, central Europe therefore moves from Central European Time (CET) to Central European Summer Time (CEST). In Britain, where clocks are one hour behind, the kingdom moves from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST).
The practice was introduced in Germany during World War I to add an hour of light to the evening, before spreading across Europe. It returned again during World War II, then was abandoned until the oil crisis in the 1970s, when the measure was reintroduced to save energy.
Since then, Europe has been changing its clocks twice a year.
Why is daylight saving time controversial?
The practice has been generally divisive, with proponents appreciating the “extra hour” won while opponents argue against the potential disruption to sleep schedules. Research suggests that the practice has a negative impact on the economy as well as people’s health.
In 2018, the EU held an open consultation for citizens of its then 28 member states — before Britain’s formal exit. Nearly 4 million people supported abolishing daylight saving time, prompting the EU to put a proposal forward, and parliament to back it the next year.
However, the proposal was opposed by some EU states and has since fallen to the wayside.
What is the future of daylight saving time in Europe?
Poland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency until July, plans to put the issue back on the agenda despite acknowledging opposition within the now 27-member bloc.
“We are planning to informally consult member states to see whether it is still feasible to take the proposal forward,” the Polish presidency said. “As the clock is ticking, we will take our time to assess the situation.”
Opponents to abolishing the decades-old time change argue that it would be a waste of time, with the EU engaged in major challenges ranging from Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine to the threat of trade war with Washington.
Scrapping daylight saving time has already been adopted in several countries, including Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Syria, Turkey and Uruguay, during the past decade, according to the Pew Research Center, which points out that only a third of countries worldwide still observe the practice, most of them in Europe.
Egypt also got rid of the practice in 2014, only to reintroduce it again in 2023 to save energy.
Edited by Sean Sinico
