EU to scrap time change rule

Citizens support a uniform time across the year

A giant sculpture in Paris constructed with the faces of clocks.

The European Union (EU) said on Friday that it would propose a legal change that would end the ritual of switching between summer and winter time, leaving it up to governments across the bloc to agree on whether to permanently use summer time or winter time.

The proposal comes after a survey found that 84% of 4.6 million citizens across the EU’s 28 member states opposed changing the clocks ahead in the summer or back in the winter.

New proposal

In response, the EU’s chief executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, said Brussels would propose scrapping an EU law requiring member states to change their clocks. “Millions ... believe that summertime should be all the time,” he said.

Since 1996, EU law has been moving clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March and back an hour on the final Sunday in October. The proposal would drop that requirement, a spokesman said. He rebuffed suggestions that would lead to confusing variations in keeping time from one country to the next.

Critics of the clock change say it can cause long-term health problems, especially among young children and elderly people. Supporters say making the switch to give extra morning daylight in winter and evening light in summer can help reduce traffic accidents and save energy.

Any change would need approval from national governments and European Parliament to become law — a process that can take up to two years.