The change of clocks to daylight saving time will take place as usual in the early hours of the last Sunday in March, although in 2021 there was a belief that we would stop adjusting our clocks according to daylight saving time or winter time, however the relevant EU discussions they led nowhere.
This year, the last Sunday of the month is March 28, 2021. On that day the hands of the clocks will go one hour ahead.
More specifically, when our clock shows 03:00, we will turn it one hour forward, so that it shows 04:00.
The next time change will take place in October (2022) and possibly in March 2023.
Because the time changes
The measure of time change has as its main advantage the energy savings. In total, during the seven months of summer time we save 210 hours of electricity by taking advantage of the Sun.
In the 1970s, under the influence of the oil crisis, most European countries tried to make the most of daylight.
Since 1996, a single, pan-European regulation has been in force, during which in the spring we turn the clocks one hour forward (in order to use the daylight for an additional hour), while in the autumn we turn them back one hour.
Summer and winter time in Greece
In Greece the time change was applied for the first time, on a trial basis, in 1932 and specifically from July 6 to September 1, 1932 where the clocks were set one hour ahead.
The time change, which was originally adopted for energy saving reasons and is also valid in countries such as the United States (in France since 1976), has provoked strong reactions for years.
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Time change 2022: The story
The first reference to the use of daylight saving time was by Benjamin Franklin in a letter published in a French newspaper. In this letter there is no report for a change of time but a suggestion for people to wake up one hour earlier!
The issue was first raised seriously by William Willett in his “Waste of Daylight” article published in 1907 but ultimately failed to convince the British government. Although his idea was eventually adopted, he could not see it come to fruition, because he died in 1915.
It was first implemented by the German government during World War I from April 30 to October 1, 1916. Shortly afterwards the United Kingdom followed by applying daylight saving time from May 21 to October 1, 1916.
Later, on March 19, 1918, the US Congress introduced the standard use of time zones and formalized the change of daylight saving time for the entire First World War. However, this measure was abolished immediately, due to the dissatisfaction of the people.
In Greece, daylight saving time was applied for the first time, on a trial basis, in 1932 and specifically from July 6 to September 1, when the clocks were set one hour ahead.
But then it was abandoned, because on July 28, 1916 at 04:00, the clocks in Greece were set 25 minutes ahead at the entrance of the time zone that had been decided worldwide.
Thus the difference in relation to the sunlight that determines the real time became very large, mainly in the western parts of the country and more in Corfu. In the following years, a simple shift of the opening hours of public services and shops by half an hour, in the winter period, was adopted.
However, in the 1970s, just two years after the energy crisis that broke out in Europe in 1973, it was decided to adopt the measure of daylight saving time by many of its states, including Greece, starting in 1975.
The change of time is made according to a directive of the European Union that obliges all Member States to apply it as a law, and takes place on the last Sunday of March at 1 am. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and ends on the last Sunday in October of the same year at 1 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time.
The change is therefore simultaneous for all Member States that have adopted the measure.
Iceland has not adopted the measure. Due to the high latitude the sunrise and sunset differ by many hours during the year, so the effect of changing the clock by one hour would not have a comparatively significant effect.
Belarus stopped switching after 2011 and permanently adopted daylight saving time (UTC +3), to keep pace with the change originally made by Russia. Such a measure was decided by Ukraine in September 2011 but the decision was annulled on October 18, 2011.
Russia, like all other European countries, followed the same change dates as those of the European Union and changed at 2 p.m. Moscow time (3 am summer time in October).
From April 27, 2011 and by decree of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the summer time of Moscow (+4 UTC) was established throughout the year. After protests by residents that it was dark in the morning in winter, President Vladimir Putin decided to use permanent winter time starting on October 26, 2014.
Turkey followed the changes of the European Union in both the date and the time of change, however in September 2016 it was decided to use the permanent summer time all year round, while in 2015 it was extended until November 8, 2015, due to elections.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
