Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
The clocks in Spain will switch to winter time at the weekend, but if the government gets its way, this may be the final hour changeback.
Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, announced earlier this week the country will be leading a movement to avoid the two-yearly rituals of changing the time. He cited health as the key factor.
The European Parliament voted in 2019 to have member states scrap the time changes, but so far nothing has been done.
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Spain has raised the issue at a meeting with the EU Energy Committee in Luxembourg this week. The aim is to stop the annual routine by the fall of 2026.
This Sunday, at 3am, the clocks are set to go back one hour.
The EU sets the same date and time in all its member states for the beginning and ending of daylight savings.
It’s not that 27 countries are all in agreement on the matter, but rather that they have different views.
Pedro Sanchez said on Monday that changing the clock no longer achieves any energy savings and that ‘it has a negative impact on people’s health and wellbeing’.
There is of course the matter as to whether Spain should keep to ‘summer’ time all year around or to ‘winter’ time.
The Comisiones Obreras union and several sleep experts say that ‘winter’ time should be maintained all year, as it is better for health- though that will mean earlier dark evenings during the summer.
Gonzalo Pn, coordinator of the Sleep and Chronobiology Group of Spanish Association of Pediatrics said that the biological human clock adjusts slowly to natural temperature and light changes.
A sudden change can cause health issues.
The Association for the Rationalisation of Spanish Schedules which wants to scrap the time change has said- together with medical specialists- that caution should be exercised and a ‘consensus’ reached before making a final decision.
In 1918, time changes were first introduced in Spain. However, the country was essentially on GMT until General Franco synchronised the clocks with Nazi Germany in 1940.
Health News From The Olive Press. Click Here to Read More.
