Irish MEP renews call to end clock change across Europe
As the clocks are set to 'spring forward' this weekend, an Irish MEP has renewed his call to end the biannual clock change across Europe.
Clocks in Ireland and across the European Union will move forward one hour on Sunday (March 29).
Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South Sean Kelly said this weekend’s switch to summertime should be "the last time we ever have to do it".
Kelly, who chairs the European Parliament's Working Group on the Biannual Clock Change, said the move to brighter evenings is something people value enormously and should not be reversed again in October.
"People love the longer evenings, the extra daylight, and what we fondly refer to as the ‘grand stretch in the evenings’.
"It lifts the mood, it gets people outdoors and the benefits for everyone in terms of both mental and physical health are undeniable," he said.
Clock change
The European Commission first proposed ending the clock change in 2018.
84% of the 4.6 million citizens who responded to a public consultation backing the move.
The EU Parliament supported the proposal in 2019, but agreement among EU member states has yet to be reached.
"We have seen overwhelming public support for ending the clock change, and the scientific evidence on the health impacts is clear.
"The reality is that there is no longer any justification for continuing to change the clocks twice a year. This is an outdated practice that simply doesn’t make sense anymore," Kelly said.
The MEP is now calling on the Irish government to take a leadership role on the issue when Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1.
"I am calling on Minister Darragh O’Brien and the Government to put this issue back on the agenda during Ireland's Presidency and work with other member atates to finally reach agreement.
"This can be resolved quickly with a bit of hard work and political will," Kelly said.
There were attempts to restart the discussion during the Danish presidency of the EU, however an agreement could not be reached among member states.
Kelly noted that the existing EU proposal already provides a clear and workable path forward.
"Under the commission's current proposal, each country can choose to stay on summer or winter time, as long as it’s coordinated across the single market," he said.
