Spain is going to propose to the European Union to definitively eliminate the seasonal time change throughout its territory. “It makes no sense to keep changing the clock twice a year,” said the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. The Executive supports its proposal in that the measure is “obsolete” and no longer provides any energy savings; also in that the majority of Spanish society prefers to eliminate it. Meanwhile, scientists explain that it has negative effects on the health of millions of people, because it disrupts biological rhythms and causes sleep disturbances.
The European Commission sets the schedule for changes to the timetable. He does it every five years. Its regulation is simultaneous—and mandatory—in all Member States. The current planning ends in 2026, so the Government has seen an opportunity to propose an end to the practice. “Now is the opportunity to decide. It is a matter of common sense, well-being and coherence with scientific evidence,” the Executive says in a statement.
The measure dates back to 1980, when the European Economic Community began to coordinate and separate winter and summer schedules to take advantage of daylight hours and thus reduce energy consumption. Also to harmonize the functioning of the common market. However, advances in the economy and technology, as well as the social habits of a large part of the population, have made the measure obsolete.
According to a survey carried out by the European Commission in 2018, 84% of European citizens – 4.6 million people participated – are in favor of eliminating daylight saving time in Europe. In Spain, those who prefer a single schedule are also the majority: according to data from the 2022 barometer from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), 65% of Spaniards prefer to end seasonal time changes.
However, the scientific community and the Spanish population come into conflict over which would be the best schedule of the two. Experts assure that winter time is more beneficial for our biological rhythms, but summer time is much better valued among citizens: 70% of Spaniards, according to CIS data, prefer summer times.
“In all the surveys that are asked, the majority of Spaniards and Europeans are against changing the time. Furthermore, science tells us that it no longer represents energy savings, and what science does tell us is that they disrupt biological rhythms twice a year,” Sánchez expressed in a video shared on his social networks.
In 2018, the Commission proposed ending time changes. The decision came after a citizen consultation in which 4.6 million people participated, with 84% in favor of ending the changes. In 2019, the European Parliament broadly supported this position with 63% of the vote. However, the final decision was paralyzed by the lack of consensus among the States: a qualified majority in the Council is necessary for it to move forward.
“Two out of three Spaniards are in favor of ending the time change. The Commission and the European Parliament already supported it years ago; the Council needs to take the step,” the Government insists. “Europe must listen to its citizens and act with agility. We want a more modern European Union, one that thinks about people's daily lives. It is time to synchronize Europe with the people, not with the clock,” they continue.
The PP calls him a “decoy”
The Secretary of Institutional Regeneration of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, has come out against the announcement and has called it a “decoy.” “It's nothing new, it's been talked about in Europe for a long time,” Gamarra defended in an interview on RNE. “Pedro Sánchez always looks for any lure to change the topics of current political conversation in Spain,” he assured.
Gamarra has scorned the proposal and has said that, “whether the time changes or not, Pedro Sánchez's judicial problems are going to be the same.” “And it's not going to solve anything for a self-employed person,” he maintained. “This is not going to change our lives,” he concluded.