The question of the end of the time change comes back on the table every year, but is its definitive end in France still relevant? The surprising answer.
The time change was introduced in France in 1975 after the oil shock of 1973, leading to an increase in the price of oil by 112%. The French government then introduced some measures to save energy. Among them : the time change. Working hours are thus aligned with sunshine hours to limit the need for artificial lighting in the professional world. In winter, the loss of light therefore results in the loss of an hour. According to a study by the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe), the time change would allow France to save 0.07% of its total energy consumptionwhich is not negligible.
Some countries change time but not in the same month
In the world, the question of time change is particularly complex. Countries that change their time do not do so at the same time of year. Chile, Antarctica and New Zealand change time in September while Paraguay, Australia, Syria, Palestine and many countries in Europe do so in October. Finally, at Canada and in the United States, the time change takes place in November. Even more complicated, some countries apply this change at different times. Finally, some countries never change time : this is particularly the case ofArgentina, Botswana, Cambodia, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Japan and Madagascar. But this is also the case overseas: in the Antilles, Guyana, Reunion, New Caledonia, Mayotte and Polynesia. The reason ? The duration of sunshine varies very little between winter and summer because of their proximity to the equator.
Is the end of the time change still on the agenda?
On this subject, the European Affairs Committee of the National Assembly launched an online consultation from February 4 to March 3, 2019. This consultation demonstrated that 61% of French citizens who participated have a negative experience or very negative of the time change and 84% would like to put an end to it. If deleted, 59% would choose to stay on summer time permanently. THE European Parliament thus issued a proposal for a directive recommending the removal of the time change. Why have discussions on the subject still not progressed since then? Blame it on Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. In question: the news but also the difficulties in reaching agreement with other countries of the European Union. Indeed, since 2022, the 27 member countries are (and must be) coordinated on the chosen time. However, if the time change is removed, France, Spain and even Italy want to keep summer time while the Countries in Northern Europe prefer to stay on winter time. On his websitethe French government therefore ensures that “this text on the end of the time change is no longer on the agenda and should not be discussed in the near future.“