Let us remind you that on the last Sunday in October, most Europeans will gain one hour due to the transition from summer to winter time.
The case has been controversial for years. In consultations conducted by the European Commission a few years ago in all Member States, 4 million citizens supported the abolition of time change. Therefore, in 2018, the European Commission proposed to abandon changing the clocks twice a year. The proposal was quickly supported by the European Parliament in 2019. However, the member states in the EU Council have still not adopted a position on this matter.
There was no agreement among capitals on whether Europe should stay on summer or winter time. This element was not clarified in the proposal presented by the Commission.
The Polish Presidency returned to the issue in the first half of 2025. It held technical talks with member states to check whether there is a chance for an agreement. Most capitals then repeated their position from six years ago, drawing attention to the lack of an impact assessment that should have been carried out by the EC. According to information from PAP, in June this year the Commission undertook to carry out such an assessment.
However, EU diplomats are not convinced that the work among the member states will end with a breakthrough, even if the EC publishes the effects of abolishing the time change. — Nothing has changed among the capitals to indicate that the work will continue, one of the diplomats told PAP.
The draft directive proposed by the European Commission in 2018 included the abolition of the semi-annual time change throughout the EU and the introduction of a notification system that would be used by EU countries wishing to change their standard time.
If adopted, the directive will abolish the twice-yearly time change in the EU (so-called summer and winter time).
Currently, a one-hour time shift system is in force, which extends the period of access to daylight in summer.
