This may be the last reset of the clock

Last year, the European Union decided to abolish the semi-annual clock change in 2021 referring to the competence of the member states if each state wants to end the winter or summer time. The decision has the support of 80% of EU citizens and the reason is logical: it no longer brings any financial benefit, but it puts significant pressure on the human body: some groans for a week or two from the effects of a time lost or added.

The construction is quite practical. Now, on Sunday, October 25, the winter time will come into force in all EU countries, that is, at 2 in the morning we will change the time to 3 in the morning.

After that, however, where they remain next to winter, there will no longer be a clock change, where summer is chosen, there will be one last shot on March 28, 2021, the last Sunday of the month. This time in advance, at 3 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Winter is natural

It seems simple, but it is not, especially since we do not know the details at all: on what basis and how does Hungary decide, and how can the European community prevent daily life from being pushed into a “weather storm” by the various states time options?

As for the scientific aspect of the dilemma, the need to abolish the clock change has not been debated for a long time, and there is also a consensus that ending winter time would be preferable. This is the “natural” time in which our body has adapted to the alternation of days and nights until the modern age.

Darkness and light affect many of our physiological functions, and from this point of view it is no accident that the highest sunrise in Hungary’s geographic location is the closest to the south according to winter time.

Forced awakening

This in itself may be relevant to people’s biorhythms, but more importantly, a forced awakening, but especially a day that begins in the dark, is much more stressful and damaging than if the sun sets for an hour. the night. Violence will be summer time We explain it to you in our article.

Although many of us have the first impression that it should be as clear as possible, we have to pay the price of an hour gained on winter afternoons in the morning: not only would the awakening be long and “forced” for many Instead, work hours and school would start in the dark.

This is what sunrises and sunsets look like in winter and summer:

• October 26 (first day of winter time): 6:18 and 16:37; 7:18 and 17:37, respectively.
• December 22 (the day after the winter solstice): 7:28 and 15:57; and 8:28 and 16:57, respectively.

What does Hungary choose?

So far science. Regarding the political part of the decision, in Hungary, Jobbik was the first in Hungary to raise the question of the abolition of the clock change. Kepli Lajos The MEP already submitted a proposal for a decision to Parliament in 2016 to abolish it.

At that time practically nothing happened, then in 2018 the Committee on Economic Affairs held a debate on it, but the proposal has not been presented to the Chamber since then.

– he says 24.hu-nak Tibor Nunkovics, Deputy Leader of Jobbik’s group on where the clock shift issue now stands in the labyrinth of politics. He adds that he may have been stuck somewhere because of the elections, the change of cycle.

The EU has left the last word in the hands of the member states, from now on it is up to the Hungarian government to decide by means of a government decision what time limit we will stick to or whether to take the matter to the National Assembly. The truth is that there was no consultation beyond the aforementioned committee hearing, nor is Nunkovics aware that the issue has appeared in any scientific or social forum.

Interestingly, the “popular judgment” is also unclear, according to polls, a relatively small majority, 55-60 percent of people would support summer time and 40-45 percent winter time.

The EU requested conciliation

Our only dilemma is over: how will the Union deal with the cavalcade that the decisions of the various Member States are expected to provoke? Taking into account the time zones, there can be differences of up to two hours between neighboring states, in addition, without any system, in all directions of the compass rose.

The EU has no formal guidelines, but has strongly called on member states to look around their own environment to avoid chaos and, if possible, make their decision in consultation with their neighbors.

We’ll see how successful it will be, we still don’t know which side we’re on. Of course, we also contacted the Hungarian government with our questions regarding the abolition of the clock change, and we also sent our questions to two ministries and the government spokesperson. We will notify you as soon as they receive a response.

Featured image: Sándor Ujvári / MTI