The French will be able to sleep an hour more during the night from Saturday to Sunday. At three o’clock in the morning, it will suddenly be two o’clock. Although the marmots are happy about it, this time change, a ritual since the 1980s, had to stop. But then, why do we keep winding our watches (or rather letting our phones adjust themselves)? What happened ? 20 minutes takes stock for you.
Where does this ritual come from?
The time change, in winter but also in summer, was introduced in September 1975 in France. It followed the oil crisis of 1973-1974 and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, then President of the Republic, hoped that this decision would lead to energy savings. It was then in reality a reinstatement, since the government had already implemented this measure in 1916 to save coal, before abandoning it in 1944.
The decree of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, which was intended to be provisional, remained. For almost half a century, the French have changed their time twice a year. This seasonal change does not, however, concern the overseas territories, which never change time (with the exception of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which aligns with neighboring Canada). Other European countries followed France and the time change was finally harmonized throughout the European Union in 1998, with implementation in 2002. Since then, in member countries, the switch to Winter time takes place on the last Sunday in October and summer time takes place on the last Sunday in March.
What does the European Union say about it?
For those who were hoping to avoid the night coming in an hour earlier at the end of October, it was a failure. And yet, on March 26, 2019, MEPs voted for the removal of the seasonal time change, with 410 votes for and 192 against. The application was to be made in 2021 and each member state should have aligned itself with summer time or winter time, depending on its choice. And this, throughout the year. But the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the agenda. The text has been put aside and there is now no question of touching the biannual ritual.
Is it really the coronavirus’s fault?
Not quite. The European Union’s agenda has effectively been upended by the pandemic, which has relegated the issue of time change to the bottom of the pile of business to be dealt with. Serious crises have multiplied since then, from the war in Ukraine to the one between Hamas and Israel today. But in addition to having other priorities, member states also have great difficulty reaching agreement. Because if each country could choose between summer time and winter time, it would have been more practical if everyone had agreed. However, consensus is far from being reached.
In mainland France in any case, it is summer time that is most attractive. According to a citizen consultation carried out by the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly in 2019, 83.71% of French people say they are in favor of ending the time change twice a year. And according to this survey, 59.17% of those questioned want to stay on summer time compared to 36.97% on winter time.