In one month, the time change will take place, and we will need to turn our clocks back one hour.
Specifically, the change will occur on the last Sunday of October (on 27/10), and when the clock strikes 04:00 a.m., we must set the hands back to 03:00 a.m.
As announced by the Ministry
“We remind you that on Sunday, October 27, 2024, the summer time measure will end, according to Directive 2000/84 of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU 19/01/2001, regarding the provisions for summer time. The hands of the clocks must be moved one hour back, from 04:00 a.m. to 03:00 a.m.”
It is noted that in Europe, the first time the time change was implemented was in the summer of 1916, during the war, in Germany, in order for the workforce to produce military material better without consuming electricity.
Since 1996, a unified, pan-European regulation has been in effect, according to which in spring, it is customary to set the clocks one hour ahead. This is done so that we can make better use of daylight for an extra hour, while in autumn, we set them back one hour.
Why the time change is not abolished
In March 2019, the European Parliament voted in favor of ending this practice, that is, the adjustment of clocks by one hour in spring and autumn, starting from 2021.
“The time change should be abolished,” stated the then President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, in 2018, following a related online survey across the EU. 84% of those who participated in the survey agreed with the end of this practice.
An important criterion for this public opinion decision was, among other things, the difficulty of individuals in immediate adjustment.
However, the pandemic and subsequently the war in Ukraine delayed the planning. At this moment, there doesn’t appear to be sufficient support for the proposal, and at this point, it is unclear when and if the EU will ever be rid of the measure.
Countries that do not implement the measure
Iceland and Belarus are exempt from the time change measure, with Belarus having stopped it after 2011 and permanently adopting summer time to keep pace with the change initially made by Russia. Since April 27, 2011, by decree of then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow summer time was established year-round.