[ad_1]
IN 2019, THE European Parliament voted to abolish seasonal time changes for a proposed date of 2021.
That year has obviously come, but disagreements at the state level in the EU have put the plan on hiatus for now. In case you’ve forgotten, time will move forward one hour from tonight in Ireland and across the EU.
Let’s take a look at what happened in 2019 and what is the current situation with the plan.
What was agreed in 2019?
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to remove seasonal time changes by a margin of 410 to 192 on March 26, 2019.
Under this agreed proposal, which has no legal effect yet, the semi-annual changes would stop starting in 2021.
However, disagreements at the state level over whether to stay summer or winter, and disagreements over eliminating the schedule changes, have stalled the process.
After the 2019 agreement, Ireland and other member states were given a 12-month period to decide whether or not they would stay in the summer.
The government agreed in July 2019 to oppose the EU proposal on the grounds that it could result in two different time zones on the island of Ireland after the UK left the EU.
What is the current situation?
Talking to The newspaper, Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune said the proposal “is not moving forward at this point” and has stalled. Clune has long advocated for the abolition of time changes in the EU and wants countries to stay in summer throughout the year.
“Parliament agreed with [the proposal] and we voted in favor, but the member states had to agree and there was division, “he said.
It has not advanced because it has been stalled by different opinions at the state level.
“They did a consultation at the European and national level and were amazed by the response. People overwhelmingly want to stop the time changes. “
An EU consultation on the removal of seasonal clock changes, completed in 2018, found that 84% of respondents supported the measure. In this poll, almost 90% of Irish respondents supported removing the changes.
The main reasons for abolishing the switch were the health benefits of eliminating the twice-a-year shift, saving energy, and allowing more time for evening leisure activities.
As mentioned above, the government agreed not to support this proposal.
Former Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said at the time that it would be “deeply serious” to have two different time zones on the island.
The Department of Justice conducted consultation and analysis on the proposal through an opinion poll, public poll, and stakeholder group presentations.
The opinion poll, conducted by Amárach Research, found that two-thirds of people supported eliminating seasonal time changes, and 77% preferred summer.
It also found that 82% of those surveyed would not favor any measure that results in two different time zones on the island.
A statement from the Justice Department said Ireland’s position has “reflected concerns that the proposal could reduce synchronicity and result in a ‘mosaic’ of time zones across the EU.”
“The EU Commission proposal would have particular implications for the island of Ireland, especially in the context of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union,” the statement said.
He said the country supports a call for a “full impact assessment” of the proposal to be carried out before a final decision is reached.
Current Justice Minister Helen McEntee was asked about the issue in September last year and said the government has made the European Commission “aware of the difficulties that the proposed directive would cause in Ireland if it resulted in two time zones. on this island ”.
“We have opposed the introduction of the proposed directive on this basis,” said the minister.
In a statement Friday night, McEntee said that “this year, more than ever, we are all eager to leave behind the short days and dark nights of winter.”
“The advancement of watches marks the point where we can move from winter to summer.
The winter of 2020-2021 has been the most difficult in living memory, but the summer of 2021 will be one of hope as we begin to overcome Covid-19, reopen our society and our economy, and move on with our lives.
So what’s next?
Deirdre Clune MEP said she does not think the issue will be covered much this year.
He said it would take “some level of coordination” for all states to agree on either summer or winter time.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: “The ball is now in the court of the Member States, as they must find a common position in the Council.”
“The Commission proposed to end the seasonal changes of the clock in September 2018. The proposal followed requests from citizens and Member States, a resolution of the European Parliament, a series of studies carried out and a public consultation.
Following an assessment of the existing agreement on seasonal clock changes, the Commission concluded that, while avoiding fragmentation, Member States are in the best position to decide whether they want to maintain summer or winter time from permanently.
When were seasonal time change arrangements introduced?
According to the European Commission, summer agreements were introduced in the 20th century to save energy.
No news is bad news
Support the magazine
You contributions help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
Support us now
Since 2001, the EU’s summer agreements have been governed by a directive that obliges all member states to turn the clocks forward one hour on the last Sunday in March and turn them back one hour on the last Sunday in October.
If countries chose summer, we would have brighter nights throughout the year, but in winter, mornings would be darker than our current winter mornings.
This is a particular consideration for children who would go to school in the dark on winter mornings and also for those who commute to work.
But there are advantages, as there is an additional daylight hour for outdoor activities at night.
If countries chose winter, we would have brighter mornings than we have now for work and school, but our summer nights would be shorter.
The UK is not keen to change the way it observes the weather. Any directives passed would not apply to them and as a result Ireland could be out of place with the North and the rest of the UK for half the year.
This creates a host of potential complications for communities, farms, businesses, and transportation operators in the border region and beyond.
Who has the last word on this?
The final decision rests with the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.
They will have to reach an agreement together for the proposal to go into effect and the council has not yet finalized its position.
The final decision of the Council will be made based on what is called a Qualified Majority Voting.
That means that if 55% of the countries representing at least 65% of the EU population want this to happen, even if the remaining countries vote against, all countries have to agree.
The newspaper He previously discussed this topic in depth in a 2019 episode of the Explainer podcast.
You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, or through SoundCloud below.
Source: The Explainer / SoundCloud
[ad_2]