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During the night the clocks were turned back an hour. In fact, the EU wants to abolish the time change. But that could fail because states can’t agree on summer or normal time.
By Stephan Ueberbach, ARD-Studio Brussels
Wait, there was something! Shouldn’t an end-of-hour change have been a long-made deal? In an online poll conducted across Europe two years ago, 80 percent of the four and a half million participants were in favor. And the then head of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, had promised with his whole body: “People want this, we do it!”
The European Parliament also demands that clocks are no longer changed by October 2021, even with an overwhelming two-thirds majority. That was over a year and a half ago. And what has happened since then? Nothing.
EU countries do not want
This is mainly due to the EU countries. They have to agree, but they have not yet agreed on a common position. Or rather, you don’t even try. Then it could be a huge failure.
Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament, thinks it’s a shame: “I would love if we could end the clock change. Even if I don’t have young children anymore, I still remember how difficult it was to change the pace. And I think we don’t need it.” .
Avoid mosaic
However, everything is more complicated than it seems. If each country decides for itself whether summer time should apply permanently, or normal time, the so-called winter time, then a patchwork quilt with endless problems threatens. For example, for cross-border travelers, airlines or the train. If there is still a large time zone from Spain in the west to Poland in the east, some sit in the dark in the winter in the morning, while others light up shortly after midnight in the summer.
Some, like Greece or Portugal, would prefer not to change anything, others have not yet committed to permanent summer or winter time: Germany, for example. So the matter is on hold for now.
And the fact that the German presidency of the Council of the EU does not want to touch on the issue is received with incomprehension among MEPs such as SPD politician Ismail Ertug, to put it mildly: “It cannot be that we, as the European Union, question to the people extensively and widely that even the EU Parliament will make a decision, and then everything will just stop. “
Almost only Germans voted
The federal government in particular should be particularly interested in the end of the time change. Most Germans took part in the online survey, in addition to some Austrians and Luxembourgers. In most other EU countries, however, clock change does not appear to be a major problem.
Furthermore, Europe clearly has other concerns in view of the Corona crisis, which CDU MP Peter Liese expressly considers correct. But he also says: When the pandemic is over, the issue of the time change will be on the table again: “As soon as we see a glimmer of hope, and I hope it is in spring, then the issue should be put back on the agenda. We can not ignore the will of the people. “
