EU plans to abolish the time change - what does that mean for us?

EU plans to abolish the time change - what does that mean for us?

Österreich - On March 25, 2025, the discussion about the time change in Europe shows no signs of acceptance. Kleine Zeitung reports that the EU Commission has not withdrawn the proposal to abolish the time change. The Polish Presidency intends to consult the Member States informally in order to promote the proposal. This proposal, which has existed since 2018, has so far only been supported by the Member States.

The central point of the proposal is that there are no more time changes and that each Member State is left to choose whether it wants to switch to summer or winter time permanently. Despite the obvious advantages, however, there are concerns from several countries that fear that deviating time zones could significantly impair trading.

Summer time of summer time

Austria shows a clear preference for a constant summer time as a standard time. The process for the abolition of the time change was started by an EU-wide online survey in which impressive 4.6 million people took part. According to Kleine Zeitung , 84 percent of the survey participants spoke in favor of an end to the time change, whereby the majority voted for a permanent summer time. This is particularly noteworthy because three million answers came from Germany, which is considered a record, but less than one percent of EU citizens.

The clock will be changed in the EU on the last Sunday in March and last Sunday in October. The next change of time in summer time is already on March 30, 2025. Summer time was introduced in Europe in 1973, originally in response to the oil crisis to save energy.

time zones and their challenges

The different time zones in Europe represent another challenge. Europe extends over four time zones, and most countries change to summer time in summer, while some countries maintain normal time (winter time) all year round. The normal time applies in Germany and Austria.

In all countries of the European Economic Area - except Iceland - the summer time begins at 01:00 a.m. UTC on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October at 01:00 a.m. UTC. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the changeover takes place to summer time at 2:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 a.m. For the future, the questions about the time change and its effects on the transport and trading sector remain of central importance.

Overall, the discussion about the abolition of the time change in Europe creates a mixture of tension and skepticism, while the coming months could be decisive for the future handling of the time in the Member States.