The EU’s next clock change is due Sunday, Oct. 25, while the Council of the European Union has not agreed its position on a proposal to end seasonal switches, leaving the current directive in force until replacement legislation is adopted.
The European Commission proposed ending the twice-yearly adjustments in September 2018. Its online consultation received 4.6 million responses across the bloc’s 28 member states at the time. Among respondents, 84% favored ending the changes; that result reflects consultation participants, not the views of the entire EU population. The proposal would let each country keep its current summer or winter time year-round.
On March 26, 2019, the European Parliament voted 410-192 to back the measure, with 51 abstentions. Its position proposed 2021 as the target for ending the changes. The vote gave Parliament a mandate to negotiate, but it did not alter the rules. A replacement measure needs approval from both Parliament and the Council, which requires a qualified majority of member states to adopt a position.
A Council progress report in 2018 said most national delegations had not finished consultations or settled on a position. It warned that separate national choices could fragment time arrangements and harm the internal market. EU coordination of summer-time schedules began in 1980 to address problems caused when countries changed clocks on different dates, especially for transport and logistics. The current directive took effect in 2001.
During Poland’s 2025 Council presidency, a proposal for a two-year bloc-wide trial of permanent summer time led delegations to request more analysis. The European Commission began a study in February 2026 examining economic, social and environmental effects, including impacts on transport, energy, public health and the internal market. Results are expected by year-end, but the Council has set no timetable for a decision. The Commission’s assessment of its original proposal also identified transition costs, including IT system changes and adjustments to transport timetables.
EU law schedules clock changes for the last Sunday in March and October. For 2026, the Commission calendar lists the autumn change at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 24 (1 a.m. UTC Sunday, Oct. 25); local times vary across Europe’s time zones.
