European Parliament votes to ditch time change in 2021

RIGA - The European Parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a measure to abolish the twice-yearly time change in 2021, the EU legislature’s spokeswoman in Latvia Signe Znotina-Znota told LETA.

She indicated that the last seasonal time change in the European Union (EU) would take place in 2021, with each EU member state allowed to choose whether to stay in standard time, also known as winter time, or in daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time.

Those EU member states that choose to stay in DST, will make the last switch on the last Sunday of March 2021, and those that choose to remain in standard time will make the last transition to winter time on the last Sunday of October 2021.

MEPs passed the proposal by 410 votes to 192 and 51 abstentions.

The approved text is the European Parliament’s position for negotiations with EU member states which are expected to result in the final wording of the new regulation.

An EU consultation of the public last year showed that 84 percent were against changing the clock.