The European Parliament has voted to end the practice of compulsory clock changes for EU countries between summer time and winter time.
Every country in the European Union is currently required to changes their clocks twice each year, and daylight savings time - known as summer time - has been compulsory in the EU since 2001.
The idea behind the scheme is that it makes it easier for businesses across the union’s three time zones to do business with each other, and possibly reduce energy costs - although studies have shown there’s only minimal savings to be made here.
Today, 410 MEPs voted to scrap the twice yearly time changes, 192 voted to keep them, and 51 MEPs abstained.
Next steps for EU countries
Now, national parliaments need to decide whether to stay on standard time - winter time, or to switch permanently to summer time instead.
The EU says that countries need to coordinate this so that the whole process is done smoothly, and to minimise disruption.
In theory that could mean in future that 12:00 noon in Finland is also 12:00 noon in Sweden, but 13:00 in Estonia depending on what those countries decide to do. But the EU is keen not to have a patchwork of different time zones across the continent and it is expected that countries will coordinate any time shifts.
The Finnish government has said its preferred option is to stay on winter time all year round. It would mean a more natural, gradual transition from autumn to winter instead of the annual sharp shock where everything is suddenly darker in the mornings when the clocks go back as they do now.
Why was this being decided anyway?
The whole path of today’s vote in the European Parliament can be traced back to Finland.
In March 2017 there was a citizen’s initiative backed by the Finns Party which received enough signatures to be considered by parliament.
Then in 2018 there was an online consultative voting process where a majority of people opted to scrap summer time, and stay on winter time all year round.
The case was then taken up by Finland at the European Parliament, leading eventually to today’s vote.
If the clocks stay on winter time, the switch back would happen for the last time in October 2021.
