More than 200 organizations urge EU to end clock changes by 2026

As every year at the end of October, clocks are set back one hour to adjust for Daylight Saving Time (DST). This means that at 3am on October 27, it will be 2am.

As the clocks change, experts and organizations renew their calls for its abolition. This weekend, more than 200 organizations and local institutions urged the European Commission to reactivate the process to end the time change by 2026.

“Seasonal clock change is outdated, and the EU can finally end it," reads the manifesto, which has been endorsed by local institutions across Europe, including the Barcelona City Council, as well as experts and MEPs.

Abolising clock changes has been on the European agenda in recent years. In 2019, the Parliament and the Commission committed to put an end to the time change, but the pandemic put the issue on hold. 

Now, the campaign, led by the Barcelona Time Use Initiative, is pushing for its abolition.

Health effects and common myths

Experts from the initiative argue that the hour change has "detrimental" effects on health, based on scientific evidence.

The organization states that living in misaligned time zones increases the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders.

It also warns that the time change contributes to mental health problems, fatigue, and decreased concentration, all of which affect the performance of workers and students, as well as overall GDP.

The initiative argues that many myths surround the time change, which is why the EU has never abolished it. One of them is energy saving, a common argument in favor of the time change. 

"Recent studies point out that either there is no effect, or even worse, DST could be making us spend more energy, given current consumption patterns, which increases the spending on cooling and heating," the organization says.

The organization claims that another common myth is the belief that eliminating DST could harm the economy.

"The current setup is already hurting the economy by provoking sleep deprivation in a large part of the population, and as a consequence, working people are less productive, have more accidents at work, and take more sick leave," they say.

On November 28, experts from the campaign will meet with MEPs to ask them to support the abolition of the time change.