Here are the countries in Europe that don't put their clocks back... so why does Spain?
The change in time has been in place since 1980, and in Spain it will remain until at least 2026
As with every October, the days begin to get shorter and the temperatures begin to drop. Many people wake up in darkness and finish work when the light is beginning to fade.
This trend becomes more acute with the changing of the clocks in the winter that takes place across the majority of the European continent. However, some countries choose to maintain the same time throughout the year, thus avoiding those pesky biannual changes every spring and autumn.
The time change, which this year will take place in the early hours of Sunday October 27, is in place supposedly to make better use of sunlight and save energy.
However, in recent years it has been the subject of debate, as some experts point out that the benefits in energy savings are minimal and that the adjustment negatively affects people's wellbeing, causing disturbances in sleep patterns and affecting productivity.
Which is exactly the reason why certain countries do not change their clocks back for winter or put them forward in spring.
In Europe, there are 4 countries that do not observe Daylight Savings Time:
- Iceland: Despite being at a latitude where sunlight varies dramatically between summer and winter, Iceland does not adjust its clocks and maintains the same schedule throughout the year.
- Russia: Although not part of the European Union, Russia is a relevant example. Since 2014, the country has abandoned Daylight Saving Time and adopted winter time permanently.
- Turkey: Also not a country in the European Union, Turkey has also chosen not to change its times since 2016 and maintains Daylight Saving Time all year round, with the intention of making the most of the winter daylight hours.
- Belarus: Follows Russia's example and has not changed its time for several years.
Ukraine, meanwhile, will stop changing its clocks in 2025, as decided last July in the Ukrainian Parliament.
Outside Europe, other countries that do not change their time are New Zealand, Australia (only part of the country), China (except for Xinjiang Uyghurs), Japan and the United States (but some states do change their time on November 4).
In 2018, an EU proposal was put forward to try to abolish the two time changes that take place each year. However, as explained on the European Council website, "no final decision has been taken on this matter and no deadline has been set for taking such a decision," and in fact the time changes have already been published for 2025, so the current system remains in force for another couple of years at least.
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