Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Fianna Fáil) has called for an end to the long-running delays in scrapping the EU’s biannual clock change, as MEPs prepare to quiz senior EU officials in Strasbourg this week.
The issue returns to the floor of the European Parliament as citizens across Europe prepare to turn their clocks back an hour on Sunday, 26 October. Ní Mhurchú says it’s time to abolish what she describes as a “tired old tradition” that no longer serves a purpose.
“Europeans have spoken clearly — they want the clock-changing to end. The European Parliament voted for it, but the Council has dragged its feet for six years. It’s time to move forward and give people the certainty they deserve,” Ní Mhurchú said.
In 2018, the European Commission proposed ending the twice-yearly time changes after a landmark public consultation that drew 4.6 million responses, with 84% of participants in favour of abolition. The European Parliament voted to support the proposal in 2019, but it has since stalled at Council level, where member states have failed to reach a joint position.
On Thursday, MEPs are set to press the Commission and the Danish EU Presidency to explain what is blocking progress and to outline a roadmap for breaking the deadlock.
The EU first harmonised seasonal time changes in 1980 to ensure a coordinated approach within the single market. Under current rules, EU countries move clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.
Ní Mhurchú said the case for reform is stronger than ever: “This is about wellbeing, safety, and a more sensible Europe. There’s no reason to keep people in the dark — literally or politically.”
According to a recent study at Stanford University in the US, scientists found that changing the clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, the body's 24-hour internal clock that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness, along with other bodily processes like hormone release, digestion, and body temperature.
