Text · Opinion parliamentary committee draft
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 PETI-PA-629635 · COM(2018)0639 – C80408/2018 – 2018/0332(COD)
- Kind
- Opinion parliamentary committee draft PETI-PA-629635
- Date
- 19 November 2018
- Committee
- Committee on Petitions
- Rapporteur
- Cecilia Wikström
- 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 Petitions gives its opinion on the Commission proposal to end seasonal clock changes in the EU and repeal Directive 2000/84/EC. It says the bi-annual clock change should end in a coordinated way, because of health concerns and because the expected energy savings are not achieved. To avoid a patchwork of time zones in the internal market, it proposes making summer-time the new standard time in all Member States. It tables amendments to the proposal's recitals and articles to that effect, including a start date of 31 March 2019.
Position. The Committee on Petitions supports ending the bi-annual clock change in a coordinated way and proposes making summer-time the new standard time in all Member States, to avoid a patchwork of time zones in the internal market. It tables amendments to the proposal's recitals and articles to that effect.
Key points
- The proposal aims to end seasonal changes of time in the Member States, replacing Directive 2000/84/EC, which obliges switches on the last Sunday of March and October.
- The bi-annual clock change has been questioned by citizens, Parliament and a growing number of Member States.
- A Commission public consultation received around 4.6 million replies, of which 84% favoured discontinuing the clock changes and 16% wanted to keep them.
- The Committee on Petitions has received more than 100 related petitions, almost all seeking abolition of the clock changes, mainly on health grounds and because of limited energy savings.
- The draft opinion says negative health effects should be taken into account and cites chronobiological research on the body clock.
- The rapporteur argues the Commission proposal, letting Member States decide unilaterally, could create a patchwork of time zones and complicate cross-border trade, transport, communication and travel.
- The rapporteur proposes introducing summer-time as the new standard time across the Union, citing citizens' and businesses' preference in the consultation.
- Longer evening daylight is said to increase outdoor activity and benefit the health and wellbeing of adults and children.
- Amendment 4 adds a recital to end the bi-annual change in a coordinated way and establish summer-time as the new standard time in all Member States.
- Amendment 5 deletes the recital letting Member States decide their standard time and notify the Commission of changes.
- Amendments 8, 9, 10 and 12 set the new standard time as summer-time from 1.00 a.m. on 31 March 2019 and delete the option of a seasonal change in 2019.
- Amendment 11 deletes Article 2, which required Member States to notify the Commission of standard-time changes and the Commission to inform other Member States.
Who is affected
- Member States, which would stop changing clocks seasonally and use summer-time as their new standard time.
- Citizens, especially vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, cited as particularly affected by clock changes.
- Businesses and stakeholders, whose consultation responses showed a preference for permanent summer-time.
- Cross-border trade, transport, communication and travel, which the rapporteur says could be disrupted by diverging time arrangements.
Figures and deadlines
- Around 4.6 million replies to the Commission's public consultation on summertime arrangements.
- 84% of consultation replies in favour of discontinuing the bi-annual clock changes; 16% wanted to keep them.
- More than 100 subject-related petitions received by the Committee on Petitions over the years.
- The online public consultation ran from 4 July 2018 to 16 August 2018.
- The last summer-time period under Directive 2000/84/EC should start at 1.00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time on 31 March 2019.
- The new standard time period would apply at 1.00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time as from 31 March 2019.
- Summer-time is defined as clocks being put forward by 60 minutes compared with the rest of the year.
Legal basis. Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Text
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Jump to an amendment (12)
Short justification
The proposal aims at ending seasonal changes of time amongst EU Member States. EU legislation on summertime arrangements was first introduced in 1980 with the objective of unifying existing national summertime practices and schedules. Since 2001, EU summertime arrangements have been governed by Directive 2000/84/EC setting out the obligation on all Member States to switch to summertime on the last Sunday of March and to switch back to their standard time ("winter-time") on the last Sunday of October.
The system of bi-annual clock changes has been increasingly questioned, by citizens, by the European Parliament, and by a growing number of Member States.
In its resolution of 8 February 2018, the European Parliament asked the Commission to carry out an assessment of summertime arrangements as provided for in Directive 2000/84/EC and, where appropriate, to submit a proposal for revision. The European Commission has also carried out a public consultation, which generated around 4.6 million replies, the largest amount of responses ever received in any Commission consultation, of which 84% were in favour of discontinuing the bi-annual clock changes, while 16% wanted to keep them.
Furthermore, summertime arrangements are a recurring topic in the work of the Committee on Petitions (PETI), which has received more than 100 subject-related petitions over the years. Almost all petitioners advocate the abolition of bi-annual clock changes, arguing primarily on the basis of health concerns and its margin effects on energy savings. Some petitioners maintain that the clock change has a particularly negative impact on vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly. PETI has discussed daylight saving time (DST) related petitions in its committee meetings, in July 2015 and November 2017.
As stated in the European Parliamentary Research Service study of October 2017 on EU summertime arrangements under Directive 2000/84/EC, the existence of negative effects on human health caused by these changes should be taken into consideration to put an end to EU bi-annual clock changes. As a clear example of the importance of the discussion of the effect of DST on the body clock, the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm, explaining the human internal, biological clock and how our wellbeing is affected by a mismatch between our external environment and internal biological clock. That is to say, chronobiological research findings suggest that the effect on human biorhythm may be more severe than previously thought. Moreover, on the basis of paragraph 8 of article 114 TFEU, on the approximation of laws, “When a Member State raises a specific problem on public health in a field which has been the subject of prior harmonisation measures, it shall bring it to the attention of the Commission which shall immediately examine whether to propose appropriate measures to the Council”.
Against this background, the draft opinion seeks to support the idea that the arrangements for bi-annual clock changes should be terminated in a coordinated manner in order to avoid any potentially adverse health effects and taking into account that the alleged energy savings are not achieved.
The draft opinion suggests that a removal of the bi-annual clock change should be done in a way to avoid any major disruption to the internal market caused by the divergences between Member States in this area. The rapporteur argues that the original Commission proposal, which gives the Member States the opportunity to decide unilaterally on their preferences of standard time, could create a situation where a patchwork of time zones appears between the Member States, making the internal market more divergent. It would make cross-border trade, transport, communication and travel more complicated within the internal market. To ensure harmonisation, the rapporteur therefore proposes to introduce summertime as the new standard time within the whole Union. According to the European Commission public consultation on EU Summertime arrangements, summertime was the clear preference of the citizens and the businesses who responded to the survey.
Furthermore, research also shows that longer daylight hours in the evening induce people to spend more time outdoors, which increases physical activity, contributes to a more active social life, and benefits the health and wellbeing of both adults and children. Which implies that having summertime as standard time in the European Union could have positive health effects on the population.
The Committee on Petitions 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 |
|---|---|
| (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, building on petitions and demands received from the citizens, 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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 is taking place on summer-time arrangements, as seen by the large amount of petitions received by the European Parliament and the public consultation on EU summertime arrangements, which generated the largest amount of responses ever received in any Commission consultation, and some Member States have already expressed their preference to discontinue the application of such arrangements. Many citizens have advocated putting an end to seasonal clock changes, primarily based on health concerns. In the petitions received by the European Parliament, citizens maintain that the clock change has a particularly negative impact on vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly. Furthermore, numerous scientific studies, including the European Parliamentary Research Service study of October2017 on EU summer-time arrangements under Directive 2000/84/EC, have indicated the existence of negative effects on human health. Chronobiological research findings suggest that the effect on human biorhythm may be more severe than previously thought. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (4 a) 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 the biannual change of time and establishing the summer-time period as the new standard time in all Member States. |
| 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. | deleted |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| (5 a) The online public consultation regarding the EU summertime arrangements, organised by the European Commission from 4 July 2018 to the 16 august 2018, and a large amount of petitions received by the Committee on Petitions in the European Parliament demonstrate the citizens’ preference for a permanent summertime arrangement. In addition, responses from businesses and stakeholder groups also show a clear preference for a permanent summertime according to the European Commission survey. |
| 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 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. For the smooth functioning of the internal market, it is essential that all Member States use the same time arrangement, permanent summer-time arrangement, to avoid a patchwork of time arrangements within the internal market. 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. |
| 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) 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, shall be the new standard time in all Member States. |
| 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. | deleted |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 2a. For the purpose of this Directive ‘summer-time period’, the period of the year during which clocks are put forward by 60 minutes compared with the rest of the year, shall be the new standard time in the Member States. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Article 2 | deleted |
| 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. | |
| 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. |
| Text proposed by the Commission | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Article 2a | |
| As defined in Article 1, the new standard time period shall apply, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, as from the 31 of March 2019. |
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Sources & citation
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- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2018). “DRAFT 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, 19 November 2018. docId PETI-PA-629635. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/PETI-PA-629635 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/PETI-PA-629635 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-text-peti-pa-629635,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{DRAFT 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 = {2018},
date = {2018-11-19},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/PETI-PA-629635}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/PETI-PA-629635},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Text. docId PETI-PA-629635. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}