Daylight Saving Time Begins Next Weekend

The clock changes and this year we’ll have to study whether there will be more changes

The time change in Spain will occur in the early hours of Saturday night to Sunday, 29 March, when the clock jumps from 02:00 to 03:00 (one hour less in the Canary Islands), marking the start of daylight‑saving time. While Europe is still deciding whether to end this practice, the debate over its usefulness continues.

Physicists José María Martín Olalla (University of Seville) and Jorge Mira Pérez (University of Santiago de Compostela) support keeping the clock change, which will last until 25 October. In contrast, the Association for the Rationalisation of Spanish Schedules (ARHOE) advocates fixing the schedule to winter time.

Last year, the Spanish government tried to revive the debate on abolishing the seasonal clock change by presenting, at a EU meeting of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy ministers, a proposal to end the practice, arguing that it barely saves energy and even has a “negative impact” on health and citizens’ lives.

To eliminate the clock change, the EU Council—representing member‑state governments—must back the initiative. The last attempt by the European Commission, in 2019 under President Jean‑Claude Juncker, to let each state decide via a public consultation whether to keep the current system or adopt a permanent schedule was shelved because of disagreements among capitals.

When the Spanish government defended ending the changes, it based its proposal on three arguments:

• Broad public support across Spain and the EU;
• Lack of scientific evidence that the practice yields substantial energy savings;
• Negative health and well‑being consequences for millions of people.

Beyond the fact that this year the dates for the next five years’ clock changes will be published, the latest EU news is that Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas shortly after the Spanish proposal urged the EU to end the bi‑annual clock change because of the “unnecessary complications” it creates for society and the bloc’s economy. However, no concrete initiative has emerged from Brussels since his remarks.

The Clock Change “Works Much Better Than People Think”

Physicist José María Martín Olalla emphasized that the clock change “works considerably better than is usually thought,” even though “it’s clearly a hassle to change the time.” Speaking to Europa Press, he described the practice as a mechanism that helps “regulate the differences” in how human activity adapts to the seasons.

“It has a rational utility: it gets light earlier in summer than in winter. So we can start work earlier in summer simply because sunrise comes earlier. Modern life benefits from that by giving us longer leisure evenings in summer… It’s hard to capture in scientific articles, but that’s why the clock change has been working quite well for 100 years in Europe,” he explained.

He added that he “has never looked unfavourably on a certain flexibility” in the European clock change system:

“We can’t force Finns to change the clock if it doesn’t suit them, but they also can’t force us not to change it if it works for us,” he said.

Olalla admitted that the European Commission likely has “more pressing issues” at the moment, but whatever decision Brussels makes, “the seasons will keep happening, they’ll keep appearing at our latitude, and we’ll have to keep adapting.”

“The Time Deck Should Not Be Broken”

Physicist Jorge Mira Pérez noted that the clock change is evaluated every five years and has always been extended. Like Olalla, he agrees that the EU is currently focused on other debates. In an interview with Europa Press, he disagreed with the idea that “from the EU’s point of view and common sense of belonging to that space, common legislation and a common rhythm, the time deck should not be broken.”

“What José María says is that the clock change isn’t as useful for a Finn as it is for a Spaniard, German or French person. That’s correct. In Finland, which asked for the abolition of the clock change, a large part of the territory goes from 24 hours of night at Christmas to 24 hours of daylight in summer. So for those people, moving the clock one hour up or down brings little benefit,” he admitted.

He reminded that the clock change exists because day length varies throughout the year; the sun’s position changes. “All life on the planet has always made a seasonal hour shift because, for example, in Spain people get up three hours earlier in summer than in winter,” he emphasized.

Mira also recalled that the Cortes of Cádiz first regulated the schedule in 1811, and the practice was revived in the 1970s for “energy savings.” While he acknowledged that some saving must occur—“because in summer you’re reallocating an extra hour of sunlight to a period of full human activity”—he finds it “practically impossible” to calculate, and noted that it has not been a major factor for a very long time.

ARHOE: The Best Schedule Is Winter Time

In 2018, the government convened an expert commission on the clock change that produced no “conclusive resolution,” as shown in a report made public in March 2019. Those experts also examined the possibility of changing Spain’s current time zone—the same as Germany’s, dating back to the Franco era—but no change was proposed.

The Association for the Rationalisation of Spanish Schedules (ARHOE) participated in that committee. Its president, César Martín, said he evaluated the previous government’s proposal to revive the debate on abolishing the clock change “positively.”

In statements to Europa Press, Martín reiterated his support for eliminating the clock change and keeping Spain on winter time:

“We believe it is the best from any point of view, especially from a medical perspective,” he said.

He argued that the issue should continue to be pressed at the European Council:

“It does not depend on each member state alone—Spain cannot decide on its own to suppress the clock change,” he pointed out.