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, March 27. This may be due to the fact that, on that day, at 2 a.m., the clocks, instead of striking 2 a.m., were moved forward one hour and struck 3 a.m. The reason is due to the time change in Europe, which became effective last Saturday and will continue until October 31 of this year, when the clock will be set back one hour to adjust to winter time. The measure applies to all member countries of the European Union and is intended to adjust working hours to the hours of daylight, which vary mainly during these two seasons. With daylight saving 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 has energy saving purposes and its origin dates back to after World War I with the aim of reducing coal consumption, although it was intermittently applied until World War II. The measure gained momentum during the 1970 oil crisis and remains in force 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 European Union member states agree to their complete elimination.
Should clocks and electronic devices be set ahead of time?
Mechanical and digital watches must be manually advanced, however, smart devices such as cell phones, computers and tablets will update automatically.
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