44 MEPs from 15 countries and six political groups are calling on EU transport ministers to unblock talks on ending the twice-yearly clock change. Bulgarian MEP Emil Radev (GERB/EPP) is among the signatories.
The letter was sent on Tuesday, 27 October, and Radev announced it the same day. Two days earlier, in the early hours of Sunday, 25 October, clocks in Europe went back an hour and summer time ended.
Where it began: MEPs urge EU to restart talks on ending clock changes
"On Sunday we turned the clocks back an hour, and the issue may again be forgotten until March, when we switch to summer time," Radev told Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
The authors want a single rule for the whole EU, an end to the deadlock in the Council of the EU and a fresh start to talks on the European Commission's proposal. The letter was initiated by German MEP Peter Liese, a doctor by profession.
The Commission tabled its proposal in September 2018. That year it held a public consultation that drew 4.6m responses, and 84% of them backed ending the clock change. It was the most successful EU consultation to date.
To become law, the proposal must be approved by the European Parliament and by governments in the Council of the EU. In March 2019, MEPs backed it by a large majority, but governments never reached agreement. There has been no progress for more than 7 years since.
Countries disagree on whether to keep summer or winter time for good. They also have not settled how neighbouring countries would coordinate to avoid a patchwork of time zones. Other open questions include the effects on transport, cross-border activity and the single market, and who would gain most from the change.
Liese called the lack of agreement between countries irresponsible. He said the problems that worry people often come from those in charge in member states, not from EU institutions.
For 8 years, countries have pointed to the lack of an impact assessment, a study of the consequences, as a reason to do nothing, the German MEP said, calling it a pretext. But he added that it is good such a study is coming. The Commission ordered it, and it is due by the end of the year.
In the letter, the MEPs accept that any solution needs coordination between countries, but say that with political will the difficulties can be overcome.
Radev says Europeans have waited for years for an end to this outdated practice. He calls it ineffective and says it harms the body clock and health and disrupts daily life. Liese also says the clock change harms health and causes sleep problems, tiredness and poor concentration.
The change was brought in after the oil crisis of the 1970s to save energy. Recent studies question how much energy it actually saves.
Since 2001, the rule has been set out in an EU directive: clocks go forward an hour on the last Sunday of March and back an hour on the last Sunday of October, at the same time in all countries. This avoids problems with transport, communications and cross-border activity.
Surveys in several countries show wide support for scrapping the change. Last year Spain, backed by Poland and Finland, tried to restart the debate, but other countries did not support it.