Does the time change still make sense?
In much of Europe and North America and in many countries around the world, clocks were set back to standard time on Saturday night. People were able to sleep an hour longer - or reflect on whether moving the time back and forth makes sense. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced a push for its abolition in the EU and claims he has the support of a majority of Europeans. The commentaries reflect a more nuanced perspective.
Outdated logic
Setting the clocks forward and backwards is no longer in keeping with the times, argues news.bg:
“When electricity was mainly used for light sources, the time change did indeed result in certain savings. Today, however, this logic is outdated. Modern economies are active around the clock, people work in shifts, lighting is energy-efficient and it is not light sources that generate most of the consumption but air conditioning, computers, and electrical appliances that operate independently of the sun. The European Commission already acknowledged in 2018 that the energy benefits of the time change are minimal if they exist at all. In some countries we even see the opposite effect: people consume more electricity in the morning when it's still dark.”
In harmony with human biology
Environmental epidemiologist Manolis Kogevinas describes one positive effect of the time change in El País:
“Sunlight is the main signal that synchronises our bodies with day and night. ... The time change is designed to keep us in tune and maximise the hours of sunlight during which we are awake and active. In this sense, this measure is aligned with human biology. ... Listen to your body: wake up with the sunlight, not with your alarm clock. Your biological clock will thank you.”
Let Brussels decide
Commentator Tomáš Procházka calls in Lidové noviny for Brussels to put its foot down:
“It would undoubtedly be good for our bodies and our wallets if we were to seriously consider whether we still need this once effective but now ossified and completely unnecessary time change model. The European Commission will not and cannot dictate anything to us in this regard. It will only make recommendations - and then it will be up to the individual member states to decide which timeline they follow. But although we are vehemently opposed to European centralisation in many respects, in this case I personally would only welcome a decision by Brussels to standardise time and return to the original, i.e. Central European time.”
Bigger fish to fry
The EU already has enough to deal with, Ilta-Sanomat sighs:
“Is there any point in arguing over summer and winter time right now when we need to be joining forces to counter Vladimir Putin's aggressive war policy and the threat of a war that could engulf the whole of Europe? There is probably no clear answer to these questions, because different people react in different ways. What is clear, however, is that the European Union should not waste its time on senseless debates about changing the time. If and when moving the clock back and forwards is abandoned, the decision must at least be made in such a way that it doesn't divide Europe.”
Seize the magic of the moment
The time change is an act of rebellion against today's push for speed, Der Tagesspiegel writes:
“The clock is set back. Everyone knows that this is impossible. Time passes, it doesn't go backwards. So there is a certain magic in this one hour that falls out of time, so to speak. Experience shows that you notice it the next morning. Something feels different, as if there has been a slight shift. It could be a moment to light a candle.”