September is the beginning of the end of summer. With the holidays almost forgotten, many Spaniards have returned to work and for a few days now, children across the peninsula have already started their school term. This and the beginning of the drop in temperatures clearly warn us that we must leave summer behind and start thinking about the future. autumnwhich is just around the corner. With the new season, the classic returns time change. We will tell you below what it is about. the confirmed date for the start of winter time.
September 22 will be the date on which the summer this 2024 to inaugurate autumn. We will have to wait another month for the traditional time change, which will take place in the early hours of October 26-27. That night, the clock will go from three o’clock to two o’clock and Spain will once again be plunged into winter time, which will remain so until March 30, when it will switch back to summer time.
These two time changes per year will be done monthly until 2026, since last year 2022 was published in the Official State Gazette the dates of the time adjustments in accordance with Royal Decree 236/2002. According to the law, this must be done five years in advance, so time changes within two years are already stipulated. For now, the Spanish will therefore continue to change their time twice a year despite the latest critical voices on this subject.
Controversy over time change
The possibility of ending the time change either for summer or for winter is on the table of the different governments that are part of the European Union and that is why Brussels carried out a consultation last year in which 4.5 million Europeans participated and which resulted in 90% of the votes in favour of ending the time changes as we know them today.
Therefore, the European Parliament He gave the member countries the power to make a decision on the matter and gave a period of two years for countries to organize themselves regarding time changes. This is the case of Ukraine, whose parliament voted a few months ago in favor of eliminating the time change so that October 27th will be the last time the clocks are changed in that country. They will remain in winter forever.
In Spain, this issue has also been addressed. It should be remembered that in our country this has been done since 1974 with the aim of generating energy savings during the summer months and being able to adapt the working day to daylight hours. Initially, this will continue until 2026 despite rumors that this practice may be renewed from that year.
Therefore, the IEC of TezanosAlthough it is not the most reliable way to measure people’s will, they surveyed citizens about it last year 2019 and 62% of Spaniards clearly expressed their desire to end the time change permanently. 65% of the total also specified that they would keep summer time forever while 24% preferred winter time.
If the time change is eliminated, one of the big questions is whether Spain should remain permanently on summer or winter time. This is probably one of the reasons why a decision that was delayed until next year continues to be postponed, when the Government will have to renew its votes with the time change.
Spain and its time zone
Since 1940, Spain has had a time zone that does not belong to it. Our country is one hour ahead of the sun in winter and two in summer since it is located in Central European Time. Although due to its location it should have the time of Portugal or the United Kingdom, Spain is governed by the time of countries such as France, Germany or Italy.
The origin of this decision lies in Francisco Francowho, on the night of March 16, 1940, decided that eleven o’clock in the evening would be noon for “the convenience of the national time being in line with that of other European countries.” Although Spain, like France, the Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg, should be governed according to the Western time zone, it follows the example of other Central European countries. Although it has been a topic of discussion for some reason, everything indicates that Spain will eliminate the time change earlier than its time zone.
