Text · Opinion parliamentary committee
On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on discontinuing seasonal changes of time and repealing Directive 2000/84/EC
Document IMCO-AD-630406 · COM(2018)0639 – C80408/2018 – 2018/0332(COD)
- Kind
- Opinion parliamentary committee IMCO-AD-630406
- Date
- 21 February 2019
- Committee
- Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
- Rapporteur
- Igor Šoltes
- Dossier
- 2018-0332
More facts (2)
- Formats
- Official page PDF Word
- Reference
- COM(2018)0639 – C80408/2018 – 2018/0332(COD)
In short
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The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection gives its opinion on the Commission proposal to end the twice-yearly clock changes and repeal Directive 2000/84/EC. It welcomes the proposal and proposes amendments to delay application by one year, to 30 March 2020, and to set up a coordination mechanism among member states and the Commission. It wants member states to notify and coordinate any change of standard time, to consult citizens and stakeholders, and to assess the impact on the internal market. It proposes that the Commission report on implementation after four years instead of five.
Position. The committee calls on the Committee on Transport and Tourism to take into account its amendments, which delay application by one year, set up a coordination mechanism, require notification and assessment of time changes, and shorten the evaluation period to four years.
Key points
- The rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal to discontinue the twice-yearly clock change, in line with Parliament's February 2018 resolution and citizens' views.
- Studies and reports show negative consequences of the clock change, including health risks from disturbed circadian rhythms, higher accident rates, administrative burden and costs for economic sectors.
- A Commission public consultation in summer 2018 received 4.6 million replies, 99.8% from citizens and 0.2% from stakeholders or businesses, with 84% in favour of discontinuing the clock change.
- Member states' territories are grouped into three time zones (GMT, GMT+1 and GMT+2), so geographical aspects and natural time zones must be considered when deciding on permanent time.
- A harmonised approach to time arrangements is needed to safeguard the internal market and avoid a 'patchwork quilt' of multiple 60-minute time changes across the bloc.
- The rapporteur proposes delaying the date of application by one year to let member states coordinate and consult stakeholders and citizens.
- A coordination mechanism of one representative per member state and one from the Commission should mediate where a member state's time change raises concerns from others and affects the internal market.
- Member states should refrain from changing standard time for seasonal reasons, and any member state intending to change its standard time must notify the Commission and all other member states at least 9 months before the change takes effect.
- The Commission should publish notified information in the Official Journal without delay and, within 1 month of a notification, convene a meeting of the coordination mechanism.
- No later than 4 months before the envisaged change, the notifying member state must decide whether to repeal or maintain its decision, and if it maintains it, explain how it addresses the negative internal market impact.
- The Commission should report to Parliament and the Council on implementation after 4 years, with member states providing relevant information after 3 years.
- Member states must adopt and publish compliance laws by 30 March 2020 and apply them from that date, when Directive 2000/84/EC is repealed.
Who is affected
- Member states, which must coordinate time changes, notify the Commission and other member states, and consult citizens and stakeholders.
- The Commission, which must publish notifications, convene coordination meetings and report on implementation.
- Citizens and stakeholders, who are to be consulted before time zone changes.
- Sectors such as transport, communications and cross-border trade, which could face disruptions from uncoordinated time changes.
Figures and deadlines
- 4.6 million replies to the Commission's public consultation in summer 2018.
- 99.8% of consultation replies came from citizens.
- 0.2% of consultation replies came from stakeholders or businesses.
- 84% of consultation respondents favoured discontinuing the clock change.
- Three time zones: GMT, GMT+1 and GMT+2.
- Application date of 30 March 2020.
- Last summer-time period starts at 1.00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time on 29 March 2020.
- Member states changing standard time should do so at 1.00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time on 25 October 2020.
Legal basis. Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Text
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Jump to an amendment (20)
Short justification
The rapporteur welcomes the proposal by the European Commission to discontinue bi-annual change of clock in line with the views expressed by the European Parliament in its resolution of February 2018 and citizens.
Numerous studies and reports have been published demonstrating the negative consequences of bi-annual change of clock for many aspects of our society, from health risks and problems caused by the disturbance of circadian rhythms, to increased accident rates in the days following the change, increased administrative burden and costs for many economic sectors.
The European Commission held a public consultation during the summer 2018 gathering 4.6 million replies, among which 99.8% replies were from citizens. The remaining 0.2% replies came from stakeholders or businesses. Outcome of this consultation were in favour of discontinuing bi-annual clock change by 84%. The current proposal is therefore in line with the views expressed by citizens while stressing at the same time the need for a coherent and harmonised approach to safeguard the functioning of the internal market.
The territories of the Member States of the EU are grouped into three different time- zones, i.e. GMT, GMT+1 and GMT+2. Several factors need therefore to be taken into consideration when deciding on the permanent time such as geographical aspects and natural time-zones and their effects in terms of health due to the availability of the daylight.
Although Member States remain competent for deciding on their standard time, the Rapporteur considers it necessary to maintain a harmonised approach for time-arrangements to safeguard the proper functioning of the internal market and avoid major disruptions that would cause a “patchwork quilt” if Member States opt to create multiple 60-minute time changes across the bloc.
A coordinated approach implies an appropriate timeline that will enable Member States to assess accurately the effects of permanently going for GMT + 1 and GMT+ 2 given the number of areas to be taken into consideration, such as effects on the economy in terms of cross-border trade, communications and transports, but also effects on human health, road safety or the environment.
Therefore, it is proposed to delay the date of application by one year to give sufficient time for Member States to coordinate their approach and involve properly the relevant stakeholders and citizens via the organisation of public consultations.
Proper coordination should be ensured via the establishment of a network composed of representatives from each Member State and the Commission that would act as mediation in case the envisaged change of time by one Member State would raise concerns from other Member States and affect the proper functioning of the internal market.
Evaluation of the implementation of this Directive should be carried out after four years of application instead of the five years proposed by the Commission.
The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection calls on the Committee on Transport and Tourism, as the committee responsible, to take into account the following amendments:
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (1) Member States chose in the past to introduce summer-time arrangements at national level. It was, therefore, important for the functioning of the internal market that a common date and time for the beginning and end of the summer-time period be fixed throughout the Union. In accordance with Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council21, all Member States currently apply summer-time arrangements from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October of the same year. | (1) Member States chose in the past to introduce summer-time arrangements at national level. It was, therefore, important for the functioning of the internal market that a common date and time for the beginning and end of the summer-time period be fixed throughout the Union to coordinate the changing of clocks in Member States. In accordance with Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council21, all Member States currently apply biannual seasonal changes of time. Standard time is switched to summer-time on the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October of the same year. |
| 21 Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on summer-time arrangements (OJ L 31, 2.2.2001, p. 21). | 21 Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on summer-time arrangements (OJ L 31, 2.2.2001, p. 21). |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (2) In its resolution of 8 February 2018, the European Parliament called on the Commission to conduct an assessment of the summer-time arrangements provided by Directive 2000/84/EC and, if necessary, to come up with a proposal for its revision. That resolution also confirmed that it is essential to maintain a harmonised approach to time arrangements throughout the Union. | (2) In its resolution of 8 February 2018, the European Parliament called on the Commission to conduct an assessment of biannual seasonal changes of time provided by Directive 2000/84/EC and, if necessary, to come up with a proposal for its revision. That resolution also confirmed that it is essential to maintain a harmonised approach to time arrangements throughout the Union while highlighting that numerous scientific studies have indicated the existence of negative effects of biannual seasonal changes to time. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (3) The Commission has examined available evidence, which points to the importance of having harmonised Union rules in this area to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market and avoid, inter alia, disruptions to the scheduling of transport operations and the functioning of information and communication systems, higher costs to cross-border trade, or lower productivity for goods and services. Evidence is not conclusive as to whether the benefits of summer-time arrangements outweigh the inconveniences linked to a biannual change of time. | (3) The Commission has examined available evidence, which points to the importance of having harmonised Union rules in this area to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market, long-termism and predictability, so as avoid, inter alia, disruptions to the scheduling of transport operations and the functioning of information and communication systems, higher costs to cross-border trade, or lower productivity for goods and services. Evidence is not conclusive as to whether the benefits of summer-time arrangements outweigh the inconveniences linked to a biannual change of time. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (3a) Numerous studies have however pointed out that the benefits of seasonal change of time, such as energy savings, have been overestimated, while negative consequences in various areas, such as impact on human health and biorhythm (‘circadian rhythm’) or on the ability to concentrate for example, have been underestimated. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (4) A lively public debate is taking place on summer-time arrangements and some Member States have already expressed their preference to discontinue the application of such arrangements. In the light of these developments, it is necessary to continue safeguarding the proper functioning of the internal market and to avoid any significant disruptions thereto caused by divergences between Member States in this area. Therefore, it is appropriate to put an end in a coordinated way to summer-time arrangements. | (4) A lively public debate, with a certain number of citizens’ initiatives highlighting their concerns about biannual seasonal changes to time, is taking place and some Member States have already expressed their preference to discontinue the application of such arrangements. The same willingness to end the bi-annual seasonal changes to time has been expressed by 4.6 million citizens, representing 84% of respondents, in a public consultation organised by the Commission in summer 2018. In the light of these developments, it is necessary to safeguard the proper functioning of the internal market and to avoid any significant disruptions thereto caused by divergences between Member States in this area. Therefore, it is appropriate to put an end in a coordinated and harmonised way to biannual seasonal time changes. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (4a) Territories of the Member States are grouped over three different time zones or standard times, i.e. GMT, GMT +1 and GMT +2. The large north-south extension of the European Union means that daylight effects of time vary across the Union. It is therefore important that Member States take into consideration the geographical aspects of time, i.e. natural timezones and geographical position, before changing their timezones. Member States are encouraged to consult citizens and relevant stakeholders before deciding to change their timezones. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (5) This Directive should not prejudice the right of each Member State to decide on the standard time or times for the territories under its jurisdiction and falling under the territorial scope of the Treaties, and on further changes thereto. However, in order to ensure that the application of summer-time arrangements by some Member States only does not disrupt the functioning of the internal market, Member States should refrain from changing the standard time in any given territory under their jurisdiction for reasons related to seasonal changes, be such change presented as a change of time zone. Moreover, in order to minimise disruptions, inter alia, to transport, communications and other concerned sectors, they should notify the Commission in due time of their intention to change their standard time and subsequently apply the notified changes. The Commission should, on the basis of that notification, inform all other Member States so that they can take all necessary measures. It should also inform the general public and stakeholders by publishing this information. | (5) This Directive should not prejudice the right of each Member State to decide on the standard time or times for the territories under its jurisdiction and falling under the territorial scope of the Treaties, and on further changes thereto. However, in order to avoid any significant disruptions on the functioning of the internal market, Member States should refrain from changing the standard time in any given territory under their jurisdiction for reasons related to seasonal changes, be such change presented as a change of time zone. Moreover, in order to minimise disruptions, inter alia, to transport, communications and other concerned sectors, Member States that intends to change their standard time should notify the Commission and all other Member States no later than 9 months before the envisaged change takes effect and subsequently apply the notified changes The Commission should on the basis of that notification assess the impact on the functioning of the internal market of the envisaged change of time. It should also inform the general public and stakeholders by publishing this information. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (5a) For the purpose of ensuring a harmonised implementation of this Directive, Member States should coordinate in advance their decision on the envisaged standard times via the establishment of a coordination mechanism in order to avoid that Member States opt for different standard times within a timezone. The coordination mechanism should consist of a representative of the Commission and a designated representative for each Member State. The Commission should facilitate the coordination and should provide assessment on the effects that the notified decision would have on the proper functioning of the internal market. The decision to apply or not the envisaged time change remains within the competence of the Member States after having consulted and coordinated it with other Member States. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (6) Therefore, it is necessary to put an end to the harmonisation of the period covered by summer-time arrangements as laid down in Directive 2000/84/EC and to introduce common rules preventing Member States from applying different seasonal time arrangements by changing their standard time more than once during the year and establishing the obligation to notify envisaged changes of the standard time. This Directive aims at contributing in a determined manner to the smooth functioning of the internal market and should, consequently, be based on Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as interpreted in accordance with the consistent case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. | (6) Therefore, it is necessary to repeal Directive 2000/84/EC concerning summer-time arrangements and to introduce common rules preventing Member States from applying different seasonal time arrangements and establishing the obligation to notify and assess the impact of envisaged changes of the standard time. The Commission and other Member States should then assess the impact of the envisaged change on the functioning of the internal market so as to avoid significant disruptions. This Directive aims thus at contributing in a determined manner to the smooth functioning of the internal market and should, consequently, be based on Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as interpreted in accordance with the consistent case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (7) This Directive should apply from 1 April 2019, so that the last summer-time period subject to the rules of Directive 2000/84/EC should start, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 31 March 2019. Member States that, after that summer-time period, intend to adopt a standard time corresponding to the time applied during the winter season in accordance with Directive 2000/84/EC should change their standard time at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 27 October 2019, so that similar and lasting changes occurring in different Member States take place simultaneously. It is desirable that Member States take the decisions on the standard time that each of them will apply as from 2019 in a concerted manner. | (7) It is important to avoid that Member States opt for different standard times. It is therefore necessary to leave them sufficient time to adopt a harmonised and well-coordinated approach. This Directive should apply from 30 March 2020, so that the last summer-time period subject to the rules of Directive 2000/84/EC should start, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 29 March 2020. Member States that, after that summer-time period, intend to adopt a standard time corresponding to the time applied during the winter season in accordance with Directive 2000/84/EC should change their standard time at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 25 October 2020, so that similar and lasting changes occurring in different Member States take place simultaneously. It is desirable that Member States take the decisions on the standard time that each of them will apply as from 2020 in a concerted manner. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Member States may still apply a seasonal change of their standard time or times in 2019, provided that they do so at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 27 October 2019. The Member States shall notify this decision in accordance with Article 2. | 2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Member States may still apply a seasonal change of their standard time or times in 2020, provided that they do so at 1.00 a.m., Coordinated Universal Time, on 25 October 2020. Member States shall notify their decision to apply or not to apply this last seasonal change of their standard time or times 6 months before the change takes effect. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2a. The Commission shall publish that information in the Official Journal of the European Union without delay and shall, within 1 month of receiving a notification, convene a meeting within the framework of the coordination mechanism as referred to in Article 2a. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 1. Without prejudice to Article 1, if a Member State decides to change its standard time or times in any territory under its jurisdiction, it shall notify the Commission at least 6 months before the change takes effect. Where a Member State has made such a notification and has not withdrawn it at least 6 months before the date of the envisaged change, the Member State shall apply this change. | 1. Without prejudice to Article 1, if a Member State decides to change its standard time or times in any territory under its jurisdiction, it shall notify the Commission and the other Member States of its decision to change its standard time or times in any territory under its jurisdiction at least 9 months before the change takes effect. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2. Within 1 month of the notification, the Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof and publish that information in the Official Journal of the European Union. | 2. The Commission shall publish that information in the Official Journal of the European Union without delay and shall, within 1 month of receiving a notification, convene a meeting within the framework of the coordination mechanism as referred to in Article 2a. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Article 2a | |
| 1. This Directive sets up a coordination mechanism with the aim to ensure a harmonised approach to time arrangements throughout the Union and to strengthen the cooperation between the Member States and the Commission in assessing the impact on the functioning of the internal market of any decision to change standard time or times. | |
| 2. The coordination mechanism, referred to in paragraph 1, shall consist of a representative for each Member State and a representative of the Commission. | |
| 3. Where a Member State notifies the Commission of its decision pursuant to Article 1(2) or pursuant to Article 2(1), the Commission shall convene Member States to assess and discuss the potential impact of the envisaged change on the functioning of the internal market, in order to avoid significant disruptions. | |
| 4. Where on the basis of the assessment, referred to in paragraph 3, the Commission considers that the envisaged change will affect significantly the proper functioning of the internal market, it shall inform the notifying Member State thereof. | |
| 5. No later than 4 months before the date of the envisaged change, the notifying Member State shall decide whether to repeal its decision or to maintain it. Where the notifying Member State decides to maintain its decision, it shall provide an explanation that will address the negative impact of the change on the internal market. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 1. The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of this Directive by 31 December 2024 at the latest. | 1. The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of this Directive by [4 years after the date of application of this Directive] at the latest. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2. Member States shall provide the Commission with the relevant information by 30 April 2024 at the latest. | 2. Member States shall provide the Commission with the relevant information by [3 years after the date of application of this Directive], at the latest. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by 1 April 2019 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions. | 1. Member States shall adopt and publish, by 30 March 2020 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| They shall apply those provisions from 1 April 2019. | They shall apply those provisions from 30 March 2020. |
Procedure pages and committee votes
How the committees handled the text and how their members voted on it. Collapsed.
Procedure – committee asked for opinion 1 block
| Title | Discontinuing seasonal changes of time | |
| References | COM(2018)0639 – C8-0408/2018 – 2018/0332(COD) | |
| Committee responsible Date announced in plenary | TRAN 13.9.2018 | |
| Opinion by Date announced in plenary | IMCO 13.9.2018 | |
| Rapporteur Date appointed | Igor Šoltes 10.10.2018 | |
| Discussed in committee | 6.12.2018 | 29.1.2019 |
| Date adopted | 21.2.2019 | |
| Result of final vote | +: –: 0: | 23 9 1 |
| Members present for the final vote | John Stuart Agnew, Lucy Anderson, Pascal Arimont, Carlos Coelho, Lara Comi, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, Daniel Dalton, Nicola Danti, Pascal Durand, Evelyne Gebhardt, Robert Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Philippe Juvin, Nosheena Mobarik, Jiří Pospíšil, Virginie Rozière, Christel Schaldemose, Andreas Schwab, Olga Sehnalová, Jasenko Selimovic, Igor Šoltes, Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein, Mylène Troszczynski, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Marco Zullo | |
| Substitutes present for the final vote | Birgit Collin-Langen, Edward Czesak, Nadja Hirsch, Othmar Karas, Adam Szejnfeld, Marc Tarabella, Matthijs van Miltenburg | |
| Substitutes under Rule 200(2) present for the final vote | Georg Mayer |
Final vote by roll call in committee asked for opinion 6 blocks
23 · For
- ALDE
- Nadja Hirsch, Jasenko Selimovic
- ECR
- Edward Czesak, Anneleen Van Bossuyt
- EFDD
- Robert Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz
- ENF
- Georg Mayer, Mylène Troszczynski
- EPP
- Pascal Arimont, Birgit Collin-Langen, Lara Comi, Philippe Juvin, Othmar Karas, Jiří Pospíšil, Andreas Schwab, Adam Szejnfeld, Róża Gräfin von Thun und Hohenstein
- S&D
- Lucy Anderson, Evelyne Gebhardt, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Christel Schaldemose, Olga Sehnalová
- VERTS/ALE
- Pascal Durand, Igor Šoltes
9 · Against
- ALDE
- Matthijs van Miltenburg
- ECR
- Daniel Dalton, Nosheena Mobarik
- EFDD
- Marco Zullo
- ENF
- John Stuart Agnew
- EPP
- Anna Maria Corazza Bildt
- S&D
- Nicola Danti, Virginie Rozière, Marc Tarabella
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Sources & citation
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Cite as
European Parliament (2019). “OPINION on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on discontinuing seasonal changes of time and repealing Directive 2000/84/EC”. Text, 21 February 2019. docId IMCO-AD-630406. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/IMCO-AD-630406 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/IMCO-AD-630406 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-text-imco-ad-630406,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{OPINION on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on discontinuing seasonal changes of time and repealing Directive 2000/84/EC}},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-02-21},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/IMCO-AD-630406}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/IMCO-AD-630406},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Text. docId IMCO-AD-630406. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}