EU Daylight Saving Time Rules
European clock change dates
Most European countries follow EU directives for time-keeping.
EU Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time) Rule
- Start: Last Sunday in March
- End: Last Sunday in October
- Time: 1.00 am (01:00) Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT )
- NB In the United Kingdom Summer Time is referred to as British Summer Time or BST .
Europe - Standard Time Zones
There are three different time zones across the EU:
Western Europe Time (Standard Time = GMT)
United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal
Central Europe Time (Standard Time = GMT+1)
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden
Non-EU: Norway, Switzerland
Eastern Europe Time (Standard Time = GMT + 2)
Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania
Non-EU: Moldova, Ukraine
Reference
Source: European Union
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on summer-time arrangements (Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 January 2001 on summer-time arrangements)
2324th Council meeting TRANSPORT Brussels, 20 and 21 December 2000 ITEMS APPROVED WITHOUT DEBATE
TRANSPORT
Directive on summer-time arrangements
The Council, having approved the amendments to the proposal for a Directive on summer-time arrangements which were voted by the European Parliament at first reading, adopted the Directive as amended by the Parliament.
It should be noted that, in view of the expiry of the 8th Directive on summer-time arrangements on 31 December 2001, the Commission submitted in June 2000 a proposal for the adoption by the end of the year of new arrangements from 2002. Summer-time arrangements, which have been maintained over the last twenty years or so, are renewed for an unspecified period and the last Sundays in March and October are the dates definitively adopted. The Commission will oversee the repercussions of the new Directive and will submit a report to the Council after five years.
Source: EU Press Release
Directive Document (needs Adobe Acrobat reader)
Main Points:
"to fix the dates and times when the summer-time period will begin and end after 2001 throughout the EU, and to establish the arrangements from 2002"
"summer-time arrangements for an unspecified period"
"set the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October as the fixed date"
"at 1.00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time"
Article 2: From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall begin, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on the last Sunday in March.
Article 3: From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall end, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on the last Sunday in October.
EU Official Time Arrangement Documents
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32000L0084:EN:HTML
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:061:0002:0002:EN:PDF
