The abolition of the changeover between summer and winter time already announced for 2019 can not be implemented so quickly in the European Union . „At the earliest in 2021, the time has come to an end,“ Austria’s Transport Minister saidNorbert Hofer as chairman of the EU countries. Otherwise, threaten a „time-Fleckerlteppich“ in Europe.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had proposed in mid-September that the clock be changed for the last time in 2019. The background was an online survey: More than 80 percent of the 4.6 million participants pleaded for an end to theTime change , including three million from Germany alone .
„The majority of people in Germany have a clear preference – me too,“ said Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier the spark media group. „That’s why I like pleading for the abolition of the time change and the permanent summer time.“ The CDU politician praised once again the advantages from the German point of view: „So you could fill up more sunshine after work more often, people could be active in the cold season even longer outdoors, children after the daycare or school longer in the Playing bright outside. “
Coordination will be difficult
Only: The plans could also bring great disadvantages. At the EU level, it is only decided whether there should still be a change between winter and summer time. What is the time in each country, on the other hand , is national matter . The EU states should be able to choose whether they want to permanently winter or summer time. Problems now make the coordination between the countries.
„It would be nonsensical if Germany or Hungary and Italy and Austria had different time systems,“ said the Austrian Minister Hofer. Rather, neighboring states would have to agree on a model. „Which model that will be, summer or winter time, the talks will show in the next few months.“
There is currently a large time zone in Central Europe from Poland to Spain, which includes Germany and 16 other EU countries. It should remain as possible for the benefit of travelers and the trade. But for all 17 states summer time would mean that for Spain in the winter darkness until just before 10:00 clock. Some all agree on winter time, in Warsaw it would be light at 3 o’clock in the summer. The time change twice a year dampens the extremes.
In any case, Hofer protested against the accusation that Austria, as Presidency, was delaying a solution. His country would have been in favor of a very rapid abolition of the time change, the minister stressed. But other countries would have had problems with it. That is why Austria proposed the postponement as a compromise. „If we had insisted on doing that immediately, the proposal would have failed and the time change would not have been completed.
In the EU countries, since 1996, the clocks have been changed one hour each on the last Sunday in March and on the last Sunday in October. In Germany there is the summer time since 1980.
