The proposal to make the Member States autonomous on time changepresented yesterday by the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, will be analyzed by European Parliament and from National downtown April 2019.
Each Member State, in the coming months, will be able to notify their preferences regarding the permanent setting of thewinter time or the 'daylight savings time.
La consultation between nations is strongly encouraged by Brussels but it is necessary that the change takes place without disturbing the proper functioning of the internal market.
The last mandatory shift of the hands, to switch to summer time, would take place on Sunday 31 March 2019. Subsequently, Member States wishing to switch permanently to winter time will be able to make another shift of the hands on Sunday 27 October 2019. After on this date it will no longer be possible to make seasonal changes to the time.
The problem has increasingly affected citizens over time, especially due to the negative effects on health. Once it got to the European Parliament it involved a growing number of Member States. The Commission carried out a public consultation this summer: the 84% who answered (4,6 million people) opted for abolition of seasonal time changes. But how many actually knew that a consultation was underway and that they could decide on daylight saving time?
On the other hand, the Commission itself believes that the time change has lost its purpose, given that, as suggested by some studies, the energy savings are marginal.
