EU – Baltic States
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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 19:43
European Commission proposes scrapping daylight saving in EU
According to the European Commission’s proposal, the last
switches to summer/winter time would take place next year.
Each member state by April 2019 should announce its decision
on permanent summer or winter time.
At the same time, all changes should be coordinated with the
neighboring countries.
As reported, the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers on August 14
supported the national position prepared by the Economics Ministry that
supports abolishing daylight saving time, switching clocks twice a year,
keeping the current summer time permanently.
At the same time, Latvia does not support the idea that
abolishing of daylight saving time is left as the national issue. The ministry
sees risks that if every member state makes its own decision on the issue, it
might negatively impact logistics, communication and transport sectors, and
create a situation that Latvia is in a different time zone from other Baltic
states or Finland, for example.
The European Commission’s proposal has been submitted to the
European Parliament and Council. In order for the regulations to come into
force next year, the institutions should adopt them not later than in March
2019.
EU law stipulates that, across the bloc, clocks move forward
by an hour on the last Sunday of March, and back again on the last Sunday of
October.
The daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks
during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer. The idea first
occurred at the end of the 18th century, while regular practice in Europe was
introduced in the 1960-70s. Latvia started the daylight saving time practice
along with the rest of the Soviet Union at the time in 1981.