Government to Propose Ending EU Clock Changes by 2026

The government announced that Spain will submit a proposal to the European Union to permanently eliminate the seasonal clock change. The move, scheduled to take effect during the early hours of the upcoming Saturday‑to‑Sunday transition, is justified as an “obsolete practice” that “no longer yields energy savings” and that “causes discomfort and negative health effects”.

Government’s Position

In a video posted on X, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez argued that “changing the clock twice a year no longer makes sense,” and said Spain will push to end the practice at the upcoming Energy Council.

“In every poll that asks Spaniards and Europeans, the majority are against changing the time. Moreover, science tells us it no longer provides any energy savings, and what science does tell us is that it disrupts biological rhythms twice a year.”

The proposal is not new. Six years ago, the EU voted to scrap the mandatory, simultaneous clock change across all member states. That decision followed a citizen consultation in which 4.6 million people participated, with 84 % supporting the end of the practice.

In 2019, the European Parliament backed the initiative with 63 % of votes. However, the final decision stalled because a qualified majority is required in the Council, and member states have not reached consensus.

Sánchez said Spain will bring the matter to the next European Council, urging that the Parliament’s vote be enforced so that the practice is abolished by 2026, taking advantage of the current EU planning cycle, which the European Commission reviews every five years and ends next year.

Opposition from the People’s Party (PP)

Sources close to the PP claim that “Spaniards are not worried about what the clock says, but about encountering a socialist who steals it from them,” and they reiterated that Sánchez “presides over a corrupt government 24 hours a day.”

“If the day had 25 hours, then 25 hours would be a rotten government,” they added.

The party also criticized the executive for being unable to “reach agreement among its ministers” or “pass a budget,” yet wanting to “decide what time it is in the world at any moment.”