Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday that Spain will formally urge the European Union to abolish the practice of switching clocks for Daylight Savings Time (EDT) beginning next year.
Madrid plans to support its proposal with three key arguments: the broad backing of Spanish and European citizens; the absence of solid scientific proof that time changes still deliver significant energy savings; and the negative effects on public health and well-being, as millions experience sleep disruption and biological rhythm disturbances twice a year.
According to recent data, 66% of Spaniards support ending the time change altogether.
Although both the European Commission and the European Parliament approved the idea several years ago, disagreement within the Council prevented it from advancing.
The Spanish government intends to raise the matter at the upcoming EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council, with the objective of phasing out the practice by 2026.
‘It no longer makes sense,’ Sánchez said in a video post shared on social media (see below). ‘It barely helps save energy and has a negative impact on people’s health and lives.’
‘Useful policy is the one that listens to citizens, listens to science and brings it into its legislation,’ he added.
The next clock change will occur this weekend, in the early hours between 25-26 October, when at 3am the time will move back to 2am.
This biannual adjustment, coordinated at the European level, is mandatory and takes place simultaneously in all member states.
Daylight Savings Time has been in place across Europe since 1980, when the then-European Economic Community standardised summer and winter hours to better align the internal market and reduce energy use.
Now, after nearly 50 years, the Spanish government argues that shifts in technology, economic activity, and social behaviour have made the measure outdated.
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Cambiar la hora dos veces al año ya no tiene sentido.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) October 20, 2025
Apenas ayuda a ahorrar energía y tiene un impacto negativo en la salud y en la vida de la gente.
Por eso, hoy el Gobierno de España propondrá a la UE acabar con el cambio de hora estacional en el Consejo de Energía y… pic.twitter.com/LA9UM0HVfG
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