Daylight‑saving time has begun. At 2 a.m. Central European Time (CET) the clocks were advanced to 3 a.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST).
This marks the 47th summer‑time period in Germany since the re‑introduction of daylight saving in East and West Germany in 1980. Most other European countries change the clocks at the same time, while Iceland, the Moscow time zone and Turkey do not observe any adjustment.
Many people still view the switch as a way to enjoy longer evenings, whereas critics argue that it merely makes the evening earlier. Surveys show that the public has long disliked the clock change. Although daylight saving was originally introduced to save energy through more efficient use of daylight, experts consider the benefit negligible.
The European Union began work on abolishing daylight saving time years ago, but progress has stalled. Even if Brussels were to decide to end the system, implementation would likely take several years.
In Germany politicians repeatedly call for an end to the clock change, yet nothing has materialised. Last autumn, the Bundestag even discussed an AfD draft bill “to abolish daylight saving”. Most other parties signaled willingness to support abolition, but no one agreed to vote alongside the AfD.
On 25 October the clocks in Central Europe will again be turned back one hour.
