Before the time change at the weekend: Spain reignites old debate
As scheduled, clocks will be changed again at the weekend, with no end to the practice in sight. Spain is not willing to accept this.
(Image: New Africa/Shutterstock.com)
At the weekend, summer time will end in Germany and large parts of Europe, and shortly before the time change, the Spanish government has made a new attempt to abolish the practice in the EU. Because according to various studies, the electricity saving effect is practically zero, the government of Social Democrat Pedro Sánchez has called on the other EU states to resume negotiations on this matter. In 2018, the EU Commission had presented a proposal to abolish the twice-yearly time change, but the initiative then stalled. Due to differing interests, a solution that all EU states can agree on is still not in sight.
Groundhog Day Twice a Year
Not only all EU states participate in the time change in Europe, but also the rest of the nations, with the exception of Turkey, Russia, and Iceland. Every last Sunday in March, clocks are moved forward from 2 a.m. directly to 3 a.m. during the night, and on the last Sunday in October, the return to the respective standard time follows. In this upcoming change, the first of these two apparent hours will be designated as 2A and the second as 2B, explains the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig. For many people, the change now simply means more sleep; it is usually more strenuous in spring because there is less time available.
In Germany, the PTB is responsible for the dissemination of the exact legal time. It ensures that radio clocks, station clocks, and many industrial clocks are supplied with the legal time via the longwave transmitter named DCF77 in Mainflingen near Frankfurt/Main. "Our experts are regularly on site and check whether the upcoming time change is programmed correctly," said PTB working group leader Dirk Piester. The scientists assured the dpa that they are following the annual debate about a possible abolition with complete detachment.
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The last major debate about the time change was triggered in the summer of 2018 by an online survey in which 84 percent of participants voted against the practice. As a result, the then EU Commission President announced that the time change would end as early as 2019. However, the EU member states prevented this and since then the debate has largely subsided. The biggest obstacle is the lack of agreement, as the wishes are very different. For example, the states would have to clarify whether they want permanent summer or winter time. The former would mean darkness for Spain until shortly before 10 a.m. in winter, while with the latter, it would be light in Warsaw as early as 3 a.m. in summer. The alternative would be a patchwork.
(mho)
