During the night from Saturday to Sunday, we will gain an hour of sleep. At 3 a.m., it will actually be 2 a.m. In that sense, it obviously feels good. We talk about the time change every year. However, we are not always interested in its origin. So, since when have we shifted the time on our clock? And are we going to give up this habit?
In Belgium the time change has been in effect for almost 50 years. The first time we shifted the time on our watches was in 1975. The measure was, at that time, adopted by all the countries of the European Union, which was then called the economic community European. But the very first time we changed time in Europe was in Germany in 1916, but the practice did not last.
A decision taken after the oil crisis of 1973
Why did you make this decision to go back one hour in winter and forward one hour in summer?
The time change was introduced mainly with the aim of saving energy after the oil crisis of 1973 and the surge in oil prices. The aim was to save electricity produced at the time mainly by fuel oil, thanks to one more hour of natural sunlight in the evening.
Since then, the measure has been quite criticized. Some believe that it disrupts our sleep. It would also cause more accidents on the roads as night falls earlier. And then, the energy gain would now be marginal, in particular due to the widespread use of low-consumption lighting.
Also read The time change significantly increases the risk of serious accidents on our roads: here’s why
So are we going to abandon the time change? This is a debate that has existed since 2018 when the European Commission proposed to remove it. Polls were carried out and Europeans were in favor of ending the time change. In 2020, the European Council was to adopt this decision except that there was Covid. And the measure was therefore a little forgotten. Since then, it has never been discussed at a political level again.
Today, less than 40% of countries in the world still apply the time change. Among them, a good part of Europe, the United States, Canada. On the other hand, no time change in most countries in Latin America, Africa or even Asia.
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