Annoying or useful?

Time change gives us an extra hour of sleep

On the night of October 26 to 27, the clocks are set back one hour to standard time.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/@StephanieFreyPhoto 2020,stock.adobe.com)

Autumn not only brings with it falling temperatures, but also the time change. On the night of October 26 to 27, the clocks were set back one hour to standard time CET - and daylight saving time came to an end.

Since 2018, there has been an EU proposal to abolish the half-yearly time change. However, there is unlikely to be a corresponding decision any time soon. 

The corresponding Commission proposal from 2018 was already approved by the EU Parliament in spring 2019. Since then, the Council has been waiting for a decision.

Single time zone desirable
The European Commission's proposal envisages no more time changes. However, it should be left to each EU member state to decide whether to switch to summer or winter time throughout the year. However, many countries have expressed reservations about this plan, as a uniform time zone seems desirable for the economy, at least in Central Europe.

In the night from October 26 to 27, the clocks will be set back one hour to standard time.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/@StephanieFreyPhoto 2020,stock.adobe.com)

Otherwise, time differences between countries could affect trade. In the past, official Austria has spoken out in favor of permanent summer time as standard time.

Seit 1973 wird an der Uhr gedreht

Über die Zeitumstellung

• The process of abolition was triggered by an EU-wide (non-representative) online survey. In this survey, 84% of participants were in favor of ending the time change. Most voted in favor of permanent summer time in 2018. 4.6 million responses were received, including three million from Germany alone - a record, but still less than one percent of EU citizens.

• Throughout the EU, the clock was previously turned back on the last Sunday in March - and back again on the last Sunday in October. Daylight saving time was introduced in Europe in 1973 in response to the oil crisis and with the aim of saving energy. The time shift was intended to gain an hour of daylight for businesses and households. France was the first to do so.

• Austria only decided to introduce it in 1979 due to administrative problems and the desire for harmonization with Switzerland and Germany in terms of traffic.