The European Commission insists on abandoning the winter time change. “It annoys most of us”

The European Commission (EC) defended on Thursday, October 23, the decision to abolish the time change, a project proposed since 2018, after a consultation at European level. This weekend, Europeans are preparing to switch to winter time.

PHOTO: Mediafax

The transition from six months to winter or summer time was introduced in Europe in the 70s, in order to save energy in the midst of the oil crisis, writes News.ro.

In 2018, 84% of participants – approximately four million people – voted in favor of ending its use, and then the European Parliament (EP) gave the green light to the measure.

Proponents of abolition emphasize the negative impact of the time change on health or road accidents in exchange for energy savings that have become modest, due to the generalization of low-energy lighting.

But the measure was never implemented, due to the lack of an agreement between the 27.

On the occasion of the switch to winter time, the MEPs put the subject back on the back burner, in a disagreement in the Strasbourg hemicycle.

“The time has come to finally stop the time change“, pleaded Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, confirming that the European Executive has not abandoned the fight.

This system “it affects us all, it annoys most of us and, I would say even more, it hurts us“, despite the fact that “it no longer generates energy savings“, he declared.

The European Commission has ordered a new analysis, to support its efforts to abolish the time change.

Spain launched, for its part, a new call to suppress the time change, in a meeting, on Monday, of the Ministers of Energy.

According to a European diplomatic source, Poland and Finland supported this approach.