Spanish Government To Renew Call To End Seasonal Time Change

[Carl]

"Changing the clocks twice a year no longer makes sense. It barely saves energy and has a negative impact on people's health and lives. That's why today, the Spanish Government will propose to the EU to end the seasonal time change in the Energy Council and request the implementation of the relevant review mechanism."

More information: https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20251020/g ... 7588.shtml

Google translate:

The Government will propose ending daylight saving time in the European Union by 2026.

- He maintains that it is an "obsolete practice" that "no longer provides energy savings."
- Furthermore, he claims that the time change disrupts biological rhythms twice a year.

The government has announced that Spain will propose to the European Union (EU) that it "permanently eliminate" the seasonal time change , a change that will take place in the early hours of next Saturday into Sunday , arguing that it is an "obsolete practice," that "no longer provides energy savings," and that "it causes discomfort and negative effects on health."

In a video published on the social network X, the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, has defended that "changing the time twice a year no longer makes sense" , so Spain is going to propose ending it in the Energy Council.

"In every survey we've asked, the majority of Spaniards and Europeans are against changing the time. Furthermore, science tells us that it no longer saves energy, and what science does tell us is that it disrupts biological rhythms twice a year," he explained in the video.

A proposal that was approved six years ago

The Prime Minister recalled that six years ago, the EU voted to eliminate the seasonal time change, which occurs simultaneously in all Member States twice a year.

Executive sources have emphasized that this decision came after a public consultation in which 4.6 million people participated, with 84% in favor of ending the changes . Furthermore, in 2019, the European Parliament largely supported this position with 63% of the votes. However, the final decision was stalled due to a lack of consensus among the Member States, as a qualified majority in the Council is required for its approval.

In an interview with TVE's Café d'idees, European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera also argued that Europeans have shown "support" for maintaining the same time zone and that "now is the right time to do so."

For this reason, Sánchez has stated that Spain will formally propose ending the time change this Monday at the meeting of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, which will be attended by the ministers with these responsibilities from the Twenty-Seven.

Executive sources argue that now is a good time to enforce the European Parliament's vote to end the practice in 2026, taking advantage of the fact that the current planning process, carried out every five years by the European Commission, ends next year.

The PP believes that Spaniards are not concerned about the time change.

PP sources have asserted that "Spaniards aren't worried about the time on the clock, but about running into some Socialist who steals it," and reiterated that Sánchez "presides over a corrupt government 24 hours a day." "If there were 25 hours in a day, then 25 hours would be a rotten government," they stated.

He also criticized the government for being unable to "bring its ministers to an agreement" or "approve a budget," but instead wanting to "decide what time it is in the world at any given moment."

For Cuca Gamarra, Deputy Secretary for Institutional Regeneration of the People's Party (PP) , the Prime Minister's proposal to eliminate the European Daylight Savings Time is merely a "lure to try to change the topics of conversation" on his "legal agenda."

In an interview with RNE's Las Mañanas , Gamarra emphasized that keeping the time unchanged "is not going to solve" the problems facing Spaniards . However, he admitted that this is a proposal that the Popular Party (PP) also includes in its election manifestos, but stressed that it must respond to a European policy.

[jimny1]

Without wanting to appear thick C , but if spain does away with turning the clocks back and forward and the UK doesn't and keeps changing the times will there still be the one hour difference ?
I have tried working it out but keep correcting myself

[Brandyboy]

I think it means that Spain will just keep the same time all the time and it should be GMT the same time as the UK. But when the UK puts it's clocks back Spain will be an hour ahead until the UK puts them forward again, the we'll be the same.

I think I've got it right. !!

[Carl]

BB is right, when the UK 'springs' forward they will be on Spanish time, but when they 'fall' back they will be an hour behind Spain.

What I have been trying to get my head around is, if this was to be finally implemented by the EU what are the implications. A couple that came to mind:

- The Republic of Ireland would be an hour behind Northern Ireland (and the rest of the UK) when the UK 'springs' forward.

- Whilst flight durations obviously will not change, it would affect flight scheduling. The no thrills quick turnaround airlines would lose the hour they gain in flights arriving in UK from countries such as Spain.

[Lincoln45]

Don't know why they have to propose to the EU to change seasonal time changes. Portugal is on UK time, doesn't appear to be a problem with the Portuguese. If they can be in a different time zone, why can't Spain just do away with the seasonal changes.

[jimny1]

Don't know why they have to propose to the EU to change seasonal time changes. Portugal is on UK time, doesn't appear to be a problem with the Portuguese. If they can be in a different time zone, why can't Spain just do away with the seasonal changes.

The same applies to the UK, if everyone left time alone there would be less problems worrying about time zones
Saying that thick americans have multiple time zones all over the USA, it must be a nightmare keeping up with times there

[Brandyboy]

Australia has five time zones and the US itself has just four and then Alaska and Hawaii.

[jimny1]

Australia has five time zones and the US itself has just four and then Alaska and Hawaii.

The Aussies have an excuse B, they drink too much fosters

[Carl]

I thought I had read somewhere previously that Spain's seasonal time change had something to do with Franco, and a quick check:

"This change was influenced by Francisco Franco's regime, which sought closer alignment with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, both of which used CET. On March 16, 1940, Franco's government officially adopted CET to synchronize with these allies, a decision that persisted after World War II. Geographically, Spain is more aligned with GMT, as it lies west of the 15th meridian, but the shift was primarily political, reflecting Franco's ideological ties to Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy during that period."

Just as a side note, Lincoln mentioned Portugal and I mentioned Republic of Ireland being on GMT/BST, but you also have other EU countries that are 1 hour ahead of Spain/2 hours ahead of the UK such as Greece or Cyprus, plus a few more. And then there is the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, that is 1 hour behind mainland Portugal and the UK/2 hours behind Spain.

So EU countries are spread across 4 timezones, the main 3 being: GMT (WET)/BST (WEST), CET/CEST and EET/EEST. Then you then have the Azores on AZOT (GMT-1/WET-1)/AZOST (GMT/WET). Make sense ?

[Brandyboy]

I think time zones are a different subject to dayight saving time as per the OP. You will always have time zones.