The European Commission has no plans to withdraw its 2018 directive proposal to eliminate the seasonal clock change between standard time and daylight saving time.
A European official familiar with the matter told European Pravda on condition of anonymity that the issue remains on the agenda, despite recent media reports suggesting the Commission intended to retract the proposal.
“The Commission has not withdrawn this proposal. At one point, its withdrawal was considered as part of the Omnibus package (a project by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aimed at reducing bureaucracy in the EU), but in the end, we decided not to withdraw it,” the official explained. The final decision now lies with the EU Council, as only member states can determine the fate of the proposal.
During a European Commission briefing on March 27, Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen reiterated that the decision on daylight saving time remains in the hands of EU member states.
“In 2018, we proposed to end seasonal clock changes. This was put forward in September 2018, and since then, the proposal has been practically ‘stuck’ in the EU Council. The Commission decided it was best to leave the matter to member states to resolve among themselves,” Itkonen recalled.
She added that the Commission still believes a coordinated decision is achievable and encouraged renewed discussions under Poland’s current EU Council presidency. She jokingly noted that journalists will likely have the chance to raise the issue again in another six months.
