France and the other countries of the European Union switch to summer time on the last weekend of March 2023. The measure was supposed to end, but the European institutions are abandoning the subject.
The clocks of Europe are about to move forward one hour. The next time change is near: on the night of Saturday March 25 to Sunday March 26, 2023, it is the transition to summer time. At 2 a.m. it will be 3 a.m. Since we advance an hour, we lose 60 minutes of sleep. Remember to check that your smartphone will switch to summer time.
The change of time has been a measure harmonized across the European Union since 1998. The idea was thus to facilitate exchanges between States. Each member of the union switches to summer time on the last Sunday in March and to winter time on the last Sunday in October. However, this measure is now highly contested. Originally, the time change was intended to save energy. Studies have shown that energy savings still exist, but their scope has become weak. The idea of putting an end to the time change therefore emerged.
Since Parliament’s vote, Europe is abandoning the time change
Since 2019, the end of the time change has been on the table of the European institutions. That year, the European Parliament voted in favor of ending the time change. The text then ended up in the hands of the Council of the European Union (composed of the ministers of the Member States). But, the institution still does not give its position on the subject, still in 2023.
” Due to the health crisis linked to Covid-19, this text on the end of the time change is no longer on the agenda and should not be discussed in the near future. The 2023 summer and winter time change is retained summed up the official website of the French administration on March 6. Contacted by Numerama, the Council of the EU confirmed that there was nothing new on the subject. We therefore continue to change the time in 2023.
The French have already been able to express themselves on the subject, as early as 2019. During a consultation organized by the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, more than 83% of those questioned indicated that they wanted to put an end to the change of hour. As for the choice of time to keep, it was expressed in favor of summer time. But, nothing is materializing for the moment: in the absence of a European reaction, we still do not experience our last time change in March 2023.
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