Daylight Saving in EU Set to Continue in 2025 Despite Calls for Change

On Sunday 30 March 2025 at 02:00 (Central European Time - CET), the countries that make up the European Union (EU), including Luxembourg, will change their clocks to 03:00, in line with European Union Directive 2000/84/EC, which was implemented to mark the observance of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

With its roots historically linked to an idea first posited in 1784 by American polymath Benjamin Franklin, DST has been officially observed in various countries around the world since 1916, when it was first implemented by the German and Austro-Hungarian empires on 30 April 1916. Despite being ingrained into popular culture and regarded as fundamental in the interconnected world of the 21st century, the practice is only observed in 34% of the world’s countries, most of which are recognised as “westernised nations”.

DST was originally implemented for the benefit of agriculture, a domain where the work schedule is primarily based on the number of daylight hours available to its workers. With seasonal changes caused by the Earth’s axial tilt, the clock-based schedule utilised by the industrial world gradually comes into conflict with the agricultural clock as daylight periodically reduces and increases as the seasons progress. With DST, the agricultural industry was able to mitigate the effects of the clock-based schedule by introducing an additional hour of sunlight in the evening (as a result of the adjustment in March) and the morning (as a result of the adjustment in October), with the dates chosen falling close to the timings of the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Supporters of DST argue that it provides several benefits, including reduced energy costs, fewer traffic-related accidents, reduced crime, increased tourism and retail sales and health benefits, with people having the opportunity to spend more time outdoors. However, all of these suggested benefits have been disputed throughout the existence of DST, in particular from residents of countries located closer to the equator, where seasonal changes in sunlight are significantly smaller.

In 2019, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted 410 to 192 to abolish DST. This decision was based on a survey undertaken by the European Parliament in 2018, in which 84% of respondents said they wanted the clocks to stop changing. Ironically, the majority of respondents to this survey were from Germany and Austria, the original countries to introduce DST.

After the passing of the 2019 vote, a deadline of March 2021 was set to allow for the negotiation of specific requirements from each of the individual EU member states. Due to a number of reasons, including Brexit, COVID-19 and the invasion of Ukraine, the March 2021 date passed without any changes being implemented. This has subsequently raised the question of whether any change will officially take place.

In 2024, 200 organisations from the Catalonia region of Spain submitted a manifesto to the European Commission which supported the abolition of DST, citing scientific evidence of its potential negative health effects and the lack of credible benefits. There have been subsequent rumours that Spain is planning to abolish the practice of DST in 2026. However, despite details appearing periodically in the Spanish media, any official change has yet to be announced by the Spanish government.

Should the European Parliament choose to abolish European Union Directive 2000/84/EC, each EU country would be able to decide whether to continue to observe DST. This, however, raises a number of questions regarding time alignment within the EU and the potential impact on cross-border transactions, inter-continental trade, travel and tourism. There are existing misalignments due to Canada and the US observing DST at earlier dates in March and October than the EU countries, yet these differences have been accommodated without major incident for several decades.

The Luxembourg government has yet to officially communicate how the Grand Duchy will proceed, be it with a public consultation, a vote or a direct decision from the government. However, it is understood that the Benelux countries have agreed that, should any change be implemented, they will continue to align their time zones.

The European Council has asked the Commission to produce a detailed assessment on the positive and negative effects of DST but the Commission considers that the onus is on the Member States to find a common position within the Council. As a result, progress on the issue is effectively blocked and DST will continue to be observed within the EU.

SM