Clock change: Summer time starts on Sunday

Clock change: Summer time starts on Sunday
Credit: Belga

The switch to summer time will take place this weekend, on the night of Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 March. At 02:00, the clock will move forward one hour, meaning that we will lose one hour of sleep. This will result in sunrise being one hour later and extend daytime by one hour in the evening.

Belgium has had a time change since 1977. The original aim was to make more use of daylight to limit the need for artificial lighting and save energy. Today, the system is increasingly criticised. Critics point out that it leads to a disruption of the biological rhythm.

In 2018, the European Commission proposed getting rid of the time change and using the same time all year round. Polls showed that many Europeans were persuaded of the benefits. But Member States failed to agree on which time zone to keep and the proposal was never adopted.

It was instead decided that each Member State can choose which time system they wish to keep. But the issue is a low priority for most governments and discussions have remained at a standstill. Belgium has no plans to switch to a different arrangement.

Many electronic devices will change time automatically. However, if there is any doubt about the official time, the site heureexacte.belgium.be can be used to make sure you're in sync.


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