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As Europeans prepare to set their clocks back this weekend, the long-running debate over the abolition of seasonal time changes has returned to the forefront of EU politics.
Lawmakers and national leaders are once again calling for an end to the decades-old practice, arguing that it no longer delivers the energy savings it once promised and instead poses risks to public health.
During a plenary debate in Strasbourg, Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas urged member states to act decisively, describing the system as “outdated, unnecessary and harmful.”
He noted that the European Commission has launched a new analysis to support efforts to end the biannual time shift.
“This system affects us all, annoys most of us, and I would even say harms us while it no longer even generates energy savings,” Tzitzikostas said.
The European Union first introduced coordinated summer and wintertime schedules in the 1970s amid the oil crisis, seeking to reduce electricity consumption by making better use of daylight hours. However, advances in energy efficiency—particularly the widespread use of low-consumption lighting—have significantly reduced those benefits.
In 2018, following a continent-wide public consultation in which 84% of nearly four million respondents favored ending the clock changes, the European Commission proposed abolishing the system altogether. The European Parliament endorsed the plan the following year.
Yet, implementation stalled due to disagreement among the 27 member states over whether to adopt permanent summer or winter time. The lack of consensus has left the measure in limbo ever since.
The issue resurfaced this week, with Spain leading renewed calls for action. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reiterated his government’s support for ending the practice, calling it “senseless” and detrimental to citizens’ well-being.
“Changing the clocks twice a year no longer makes any sense. It barely helps save energy, but it has negative effects on people’s health and lives,” Sanchez wrote on the social platform X.
All EU member states switch to summer time on the last Sunday in March and return to their standard time (wintertime) on the last Sunday in October, which this year falls on Oct. 26, 2025.
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