Spain proposes an end to changing clocks in European Union next year

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced on social media that his government is going to propose an end to clock changes in the EU. Through a video on social media, the head of Spain’s state said that “changing the clocks twice a year no longer makes sense”, as it “hardly helps to save energy, on top of having a negative impact on people’s health and lives”. Sánchez said that his proposal, which he is going to bring up on Monday, is to put an end to this practice in 2026.

This week, we switch to winter time, when the clocks go back one hour. However, Sánchez said that he does not see the point in moving the clock backwards or forwards. “In all surveys, the majority of people in Spain and Europe have stated that they are against clock changes,” the PM said.

Sánchez backed up his proposal with science, stating that clock changes do not benefit energy savings. What is more important is that “science does tell us that they disrupt biological rhythms twice a year”.

The proposal of PM Sánchez does not come out of the blue. This Monday, he plans to remind other European leaders that, six years ago, they voted to put an end to clock changes. Now, he is asking that the decision be upheld in 2026. According to Sánchez, policies must adapt to the preferences of the majority of the people and to science.