Stop adjusting clocks twice a year, Lithuania tells EU

Lithuania said Thursday that it would push the European Union to
abolish its law on daylight saving time, claiming that most people
find it annoying to have to adjust their clocks twice a year.

The Baltic nation’s parliament voted 76 to seven, with seven
abstentions, in favour of the government’s proposal to open
negotiations with the EU Commission.

“The government decided to initiate discussions within the EU
about whether the directive is still relevant,” Deividas
Matulionis, adviser to Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, told
AFP.

Lithuania’s foreign and communication ministers will soon start
consultations with the EU executive and member states.

An opinion poll published this year showed that 79 percent of
people in the nation of 2.8 million were against the annual ritual
of adjusting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and then back
an hour in the fall.

Proponents of daylight saving time, adopted at the beginning of
the twentieth century, say the longer evening daylight hours in the
summer help save energy and bolster productivity.

The European Commission said it was “currently examining the
summertime question based on all available evidence”.

An EU official told AFP that EU-wide daylight saving rules help
avoid problems for the transport, logistics and energy sectors, and
said studies showed they have “led to some energy savings.”

But Matulionis said that some people cannot easily adapt to the
change and feel it has a short-term negative impact on their
health, adding that there was no conclusive proof on the economic
benefits.

Senior politicians in fellow EU states Finland, Poland and
Sweden have also criticised the ritual, which is used across most
of North America and Europe.

Lithuania said Thursday that it would push the European Union to
abolish its law on daylight saving time, claiming that most people
find it annoying to have to adjust their clocks twice a
year.

The Baltic nation’s parliament voted 76 to seven, with seven
abstentions, in favour of the government’s proposal to open
negotiations with the EU Commission.

“The government decided to initiate discussions within the EU
about whether the directive is still relevant,” Deividas
Matulionis, adviser to Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, told
AFP.

Lithuania’s foreign and communication ministers will soon start
consultations with the EU executive and member states.

An opinion poll published this year showed that 79 percent of
people in the nation of 2.8 million were against the annual ritual
of adjusting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and then back
an hour in the fall.

Proponents of daylight saving time, adopted at the beginning of
the twentieth century, say the longer evening daylight hours in the
summer help save energy and bolster productivity.

The European Commission said it was “currently examining the
summertime question based on all available evidence”.

An EU official told AFP that EU-wide daylight saving rules help
avoid problems for the transport, logistics and energy sectors, and
said studies showed they have “led to some energy savings.”

But Matulionis said that some people cannot easily adapt to the
change and feel it has a short-term negative impact on their
health, adding that there was no conclusive proof on the economic
benefits.

Senior politicians in fellow EU states Finland, Poland and
Sweden have also criticised the ritual, which is used across most
of North America and Europe.