Eliminate time change? Online EU survey on whether to keep time change
BRUSSELS · In spring one has an hour less to sleep and in autumn, an hour longer. Discussion about whether or not it makes sense to have a time change keeps popping up. Citizens can now have their say by filling out an EU questionnaire.
European citizens will be able to give their opinion to the EU Commission in the coming weeks about whether it makes sense to abolish the time change between summer time and daylight savings time. An online questionnaire will be available through August 16, according to authorities in Brussels who shared the information on Thursday. Citizens will also be able to indicate whether they prefer daylight savings time or summer time in the event that a time change is eliminated altogether.
In February, the European Parliament called on the EU Commission to look into the matter. Should the authorities come to the conclusion that the disadvantages of the time change would outweigh the advantages, it could submit a proposal for a legislative amendment to EU countries and and the European Parliament.
The time change in Germany as we now know it, was introduced in 1980 with the aim of saving energy. Since 1996, people in all EU countries have set their clocks ahead one hour on the last Sunday in March, and their clocks back one hour on the last Sunday in October.
Benefits resulting from a time change are controversial. According to the Federal Environmental Agency, Germans actually turn off their lights less often in the evening because of the time change in summer - but in spring and fall, more heating takes place in the mornings. As well, doctors see health risks. Sleep researchers warn that those who are sensitive may have problems with the time change, including sleep disorders and loss of appetite.
In the past, surveys have come to the conclusion that a majority of Germans want to eliminate the time change. In a representative study conducted in March by Forsa Institute on behalf of health insurance company DAK , 73 percent of respondents said they were against a time change.
Due to an apparently overwhelming amount of people trying to access the survey, it is showing error messages and server inaccessibility on the part of the EU. For more information about the survey and how to participate, please visit: https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/2018-summertime-arrangements_en
(Orig. text: dpa, Translation: ck)
