Time is money but in EU, time is political too

The saying goes that time is money but in the European Union, time is political too. When clocks spring forward across the bloc on Sunday, it will not be the last time despite a desire by millions of EU citizens to see the lights turned out on the biannual change. Research shows that moving the clock back and forth in autumn and spring negatively impacts the economy as well as people’s health, fuelling growing calls to end the system in Europe — and beyond. The EU proposed abolishing the custom in 2018 after nearly four million people in the bloc’s then 28 member states — before Britain formally exited — gave their support in an open consultation. The parliament — the only directly elected EU body — backed the reform the following year, but it has since fallen into limbo after hitting opposition from some EU states. Under the EU’s process to pass a law, the European Commission makes a proposal that the European Parliament and member states must vote on separately — before negotiators for EU countries and MEPs agree on a final text.

Poland, which holds the bloc’s rotating presidency until July, says it is time to put the issue back on the states’ agenda. Supporters including lawmakers point to studies proving the change harms health. “There’s a huge amount of evidence suggesting that changing the clock biannually is bad for human health, bad for animals, bad for road traffic, and has very little beneficial attributes. And it’s also a huge inconvenience,” said Irish EU lawmaker Sean Kelly.

“So I think the time has come to say bye-bye,” said Kelly, one of the most vocal proponents of eradicating clock changes.

Kelly urges the EU to agree a target date to stop changing clocks, as it has done with objectives to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The practice of moving the clocks forward in spring — to add an hour of light to the evening — began with Germany in World War I and spread across Europe. The custom made a comeback in World War II, then fell by the wayside until the 1970s oil crisis — when it was brought back to save energy, and stayed.

Detractors see the reform as a waste of time — with the EU now battling major challenges from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the threat of trade war with Washington. But the commission remains hopeful, telling AFP there were no plans to scrap it. “We believe that a coordinated solution is still achievable, and we encourage renewed discussions under the current presidency,” commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said. The Polish presidency says it is moving in that direction — while conceding there has been limited support among EU countries. “We are planning to informally consult member states to see whether it is still feasible to take the proposal forward,” it said. “As the clock is ticking, we will take our time to assess the situation.”

For Kelly, it’s one issue where the EU and the United States may find some agreement. After his reelection, Donald Trump said he wanted to get rid of Daylight Saving Time as “inconvenient” and “very costly” — although he has since temperered his tone, calling it a “50-50 issue”.

Trump’s ally and tech billionaire Elon Musk jumped into the fray by asking his followers this month if they preferred an hour earlier or later — were the change to go ahead.

The majority of the 1.3 million votes preferred the clocks to be set an hour later — meaning the sun would both rise and set at a later point in the day all year round. If the EU and the United States ever stop the clock on the current system, they won’t be alone. In the past decade, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Syria, Turkey and Uruguay have done away with Daylight Saving Time, according to the Pew Research Center. But some have had regrets. Egypt eliminated the clock change in 2014 before reintroducing it nine years later to save energy. The reform’s EU supporters, meanwhile, may need to wait a little longer. A senior Lithuanian official said the country will waste no time and make the issue a priority when it takes over the EU presidency in... 2027.

Agence France-Presse