On no other continent in the world is the universe consumed in discussions about the value or worthlessness of changing time from winter to summer and vice versa. Does that mean we have solved all our problems? In any case, the issue becomes relevant again. At dawn on October 31, anyone who is still awake must turn the clock back one hour, ie from 03.00 to 02.00. their sleep and in the morning to find the right time on their watches and computers.
The time of Jean-Claude Juncker
At the right time? Which is the right one? The desired? Winter or summer? The EU set the time change in a binding directive in 2002 for all Member States. Germany, perhaps other countries, since 1980 the last weekend of March enters the summer time, already on July 22, 1978 the Federal Parliament had passed a law. In fact, the German government consulted with the East German leadership to avoid different time zones. The goal of the change was to make better use of natural light to save energy after the 1973 oil crisis. Of course, the goal does not seem to have been achieved. According to estimates by the Federal Environment Service, yes, electricity is saved, but in the cold winter months one needs to turn on more heating time. So where exactly is the profit? Somehow European grievances started and complaints from some countries that their wishes are not taken into account by the European Commission that led in 2018 Jean-Claude Juncker to present with a very enthusiastic proposal, the change to summer time in 2019 to be the last. There was even a pan-European initiative to stop the change of time with an online referendum.
Before the result came out, which showed that 84% of the few who participated and wanted the time change to be abolished, Juncker eloquently announced: “People want it, we do it.” Now why the then chairman of the Commission elected the last date in March 2019, no one knows. Maybe he wanted to end his term with one by making a fuss, as the Welt newspaper wrote at the time. What is important, however, is that it has become clear how complex and long-term processes Europe can be. And how difficult it is to satisfy everyone. But what was the problem? After Juncker’s announcement, many member states froze, braked and asked for time to gauge the consequences. It was not just that some industries, such as air navigation, feared huge chaos in the ethers. Even scientists sounded the alarm. And a middle ground was found. Give more time. The EU ministers in charge have even decided that the last change of time would take place in 2021 at the earliest.
Disorder of the biological clock
And in order to preserve the unity of the EU – in terms of time – a time coordinator would be set up to find a solution that would satisfy all member states. Because the EU is a huge continent with a central time zone stretching from Poland to Spain. The further east a country is, the further the day goes. During the normal winter time, the first light of day comes out in Poland already at 3 at night, when in Spain it is completely dark. Logically, Poland wants to maintain daylight saving time, because who wants to wake up at three o’clock in the morning from the first rays of the sun? which would make everyday life difficult. But also scientific studies show that the change of time should stop. The Institute of Medical Psychology at the University of Munich has predicted “huge problems from a perpetual summer time, more diabetics, depression, sleep and learning problems, weight gain”.
In a representative survey of the German health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit in 2019, 29% of respondents complained about a number of diseases during the winter, such as sleep disorders, blood pressure problems and fatigue lasting several weeks. Mostly people who work in shifts, feel the change of time in their skin. Chronobiologists, who study the biorhythm of the human body, welcome the definitive stay in the winter time and point out that the summer is an artificial time that “removes light in the morning, which negatively affects work performance and burdens the body at night with an extra hour of light “when it ‘s time to go to bed”. All this turned out to be complicated without a solution on the horizon. The only consolation is that on Sunday, October 31, we can get at least an hour more sleep.
Irini Anastassopoulou / ARD / Welt / RP Online
DW
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