European Union to do away with daylight savings in 2019
The European Union has decided to end the confusing ritual of adjusting the clock twice a year during seasonal change from 2019 onwards. It has given member states until April to decide if they want to remain on summer or winter time.
Why seasonal adjusting of clocks in European Union member countries?
Since 1996, EU law has required all EU countries to move forward by an hour on the last Sunday of March and back by an hour on the final Sunday in October.
“There will be no more seasonal clock changes as of the end of October 2019,” Commissioner Violeta Bulc told a news conference on Friday, acknowledging that this relied on others following the Commission’s “ambitious” schedule.
The proposal follows an EU survey drawing in a record 4.6 million responses and showing 84 percent of them opposed to seasonal clock changes. The Commission also says seasonal time switches are outdated, implemented during World War I and II and the 1970s oil crisis to save energy.
