Europe pleads for cooperation to avoid time zone chaos

The EU has urged member countries to work together to avoid turning Europe into a confusing patchwork of different time zones, after announcing plans to abolish seasonal clock changes.

The European Commission wants to end the long-standing practice of putting clocks forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the autumn, arguing that it causes unjustified disruption.

Each EU country is being asked to decide whether it wants to stay permanently on what is now their summer or their winter time.

This will end the twice-yearly ritual of time changes, but raises the possibility that neighbouring countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands could end up an hour apart.

To avoid a mishmash of time zones in neighbouring countries, the bloc’s Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, who is leading the initiative, urged governments to cooperate as they make their choice.

“Member states now have to decide – either they want to stick with summer or winter time,” Bulc told reporters.

“In order to maintain a harmonised approach we are encouraging consultations at national levels to ensure a coordinated approach of all member states.”