Time change in Europe? If you are studying and living in Europe, You probably noticed that you didn't get enough sleep when you woke up on Saturday 27 March. This may be due to the fact that, on that day, at 2 a.m., the clocks, instead of striking 2 a.m., were set one hour ahead and struck 3 a.m. The reason for this is the time change in Europe, which came into effect last Saturday and will continue until 31 October this year, when the clock will be put back one hour to adjust to winter time. The measure applies to all EU member states and is intended to align working hours with daylight hours, which vary mainly during these two seasons. With summer time, in the case of Ireland, the difference with Latin American countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica will be 7 hours, with Colombia, Peru and Panama it will be 6 hours, and with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay it will be 4 hours. Malta, on the other hand, will now have a time difference of 8 hours with Mexico and Costa Rica, 7 hours with Colombia, Peru, Panama; and 5 hours with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
Why the time change in Europe?
The time change in Europe is for energy saving purposes and dates back to after the First World War with the aim of reducing coal consumption, although it was intermittently applied until the Second World War. The measure gained momentum during the 1970s oil crisis and remains in place to this day, although the European Union has already approved a BILL to remove it. Under this scenario, summer and winter time may disappear in the next few years, once the EU member states agree on their complete elimination.
Should clocks and electronic devices be set earlier?
Mechanical and digital watches must be manually advanced, however, smart devices such as mobile phones, computers and tablets will be updated automatically.
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