Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Union, said on Friday that the European Commission (EC) is to propose an end the change of winter time in the EU after analysing the results of a public consultation in which “millions” of people asked to maintain summer time all year round,
“Millions of people have said that they do not want to keep changing the clocks, so the EC will do what they ask,” Juncker said through the Twitter profile of one of his chief spokespersons, Mina Andreeva, adding that the Commission will now present a legislative proposal.
Andreeva echoed the statements of the Luxembourg politician today on the morning program of the German public television station ZDF, in which he stated that he will defend the elimination of the change of time before the Commission.
“People want it and we will do it,” he added.
“Millions of people have responded to the consultation and are of the opinion that summer time should remain in force in the future all year round, and so it will be,” Juncker stressed.
“What does not make sense is to ask people what they think and then not take their views into account”.
The clock change from summer time to winter time takes place occurs every year on the last weekend of October with clocks turned back one hour in all European Union (EU) countries.
Some 4.6 million Europeans from the 28 countries of the Union made their contributions through an online questionnaire. In the consultation, they were asked if they were in favour of eliminating the time changes that occur twice each year and, if so, if they would prefer to retain a winter or a summer schedule.
The purpose of the survey was to check whether the time change should take place, since the Commission received requests from Belgium and Germany that rejected the change altogether.
