Europe Wants to Get Rid of Daylight Saving Time

The European Commission is recommending member nations abolish the practice of changing clocks twice per year for daylight saving time.

According to the results of a public survey, 80 percent of European citizens want to abolish the twice-annual changing of the clocks. The European Commission is hoping to follow public wishes.

“Millions responded and believe that in the future we should have summertime all year round,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German broadcaster ZDF on Friday. “So that's what will happen.”

In order for the change to go into effect, all member nations and the European parliament must approve new legislation.

Current EU law requires all 28 member nations to turn their clocks forward one hour on the last Sunday in March. On the last Sunday in October, all clocks go back one hour.

The U.K. is one of the 28 member nations but, as it is due to leave the European Union in March 2019, it is unlikely to enact any major change in that time, according to the BBC.

Although Daylight Saving Time may seem like an age-old tradition, it’s only been around for about 100 years. Germany was the first country in Europe to enact Daylight Saving Time in 1916. Despite popular belief, the change wasn’t made to benefit farmers. And in 1919, after the United States implemented daylight savings, lobbyists representing farmers actually tried to get the measure repealed.

Outside of the EU, several countries — including Russia, Iceland, Turkey and Belarus — have already abandoned the practice of switching clocks.