Romania switches to winter time as EU pushes to end clock changes

During the early hours of Sunday, Romania will join a wave of European countries in reverting to winter time, moving clocks back from 04:00 to 03:00. The European Commission highlighted the historical origins of daylight-saving, noting its introduction during wartime and the 1970s oil crisis, and pointed out that EU legislation since 2001 standardised the change dates. Despite the original energy-saving rationale, the Commission now argues the system offers no real savings and harms health and road safety.

Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas affirmed the Commission’s commitment to ending the practice. Spain has renewed its call to abolish the shift, and a diplomatic source said Poland and Finland back the initiative. A 2018 survey showed 84% of participants favored ending clock changes, prompting the European Parliament to endorse the measure, though it remains stalled due to lack of consensus among the 27 member states.