European Union to reset clocks on 25 October as seasonal time change reform remains stalled
Clocks across European Union member states will turn back one hour at 3:00 on Sunday, 25 October 2026, marking the return to standard time while broader legislative efforts to abolish the switch remain blocked.
Scheduled return to standard time
European Union member states will adjust their clocks on the night between Saturday, 24 October and Sunday, 25 October 2026. At 3:00 in the morning, clocks will turn back one hour to 2:00, marking the official conclusion of daylight saving time. The seven-month summer time period, which began on 29 March 2026, will give way to standard Central European Time until 28 March 2027. Digital systems, computers, and mobile phones will update automatically, while manual clocks will require physical adjustment.
Legislative gridlock in Brussels
The biannual clock change continues despite widespread public opposition and previous regulatory initiatives to end it. In a 2018 European Commission public consultation with 4.6 million respondents, 84% supported eliminating seasonal adjustments. The European Parliament subsequently voted in March 2019 to abolish the practice starting in 2021. However, implementation stalled in the Council of the European Union, which requires approval from at least 55% of member states representing 65% of the bloc's population. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in October 2025 that Spain would propose ending the practice in 2026, but no EU-wide agreement has materialized, leaving the system in place at least through the end of 2026.
- Spain restores daylight saving time following the oil crisis
- European Union harmonizes daylight saving rules and Germany introduces time shifts
- EU synchronizes clock change dates to late March and late October
- European Commission consultation finds 84% support for ending clock changes
- European Parliament votes to approve abolishing seasonal time changes
- Clocks across EU member states turn back one hour to standard time
- Clocks across EU member states scheduled to advance one hour for summer time
Energy savings debate
Seasonal clock changes were established across Europe following the 1973–1974 oil crisis, including Spain's adoption in 1974 and West Germany's implementation in 1980, to lower energy usage by aligning waking hours with daylight. However, recent empirical studies report limited energy savings. A 2016 review by the German Bundestag Office of Technology Assessment found that seasonal changes reduced total European electricity consumption by at most 1%, and German consumption by only 0.2%. Research from the University of Kassel and Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe estimated German energy savings at nearly 0.8%. Despite minimal power reductions, commercial organizations such as Confcommercio and Confesercenti favor daylight saving time for retail activity.
A greater availability of natural light in the hours of greater propensity to consume positively affects the dynamics of attendance in urban and commercial spaces.
- European electricity savings (TAB 2016 max)
- 1 %
- German electricity savings (TAB 2016 model)
- 0.2 %
- German energy savings (Kassel & OWL study)
- 0.8 %
Health impacts and chronobiology
Medical specialists and sleep societies in Europe and North America have voiced support for maintaining permanent standard time over daylight saving time. Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warned policymakers against adopting permanent summer hours due to circadian disruption. Luigi Ferini-Strambi of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan explained that the sudden shift creates a form of mini jet lag requiring several days of biological adjustment. Sleep organizations, including the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine, noted that standard time aligns more closely with natural sunlight and reduces risks associated with chronic social jet lag. Roberto Manfredini reiterated the clinical consensus regarding biological rhythms.
Medicine has a clear position. Standard time is more suitable for the organism. This follows its own rhythm which is linked to the course of the Sun. It has been like this for 5 billion years.
