Clocks go forward as summer time begins on Sunday 29 March

Clocks go forward as summer time begins on Sunday 29 March

Winter time ends and clocks are changed to summer time on the night between Saturday and Sunday. Clocks will be changed forward by one hour this Sunday, 29 March 2026, at 3 in the morning.

Clocks are changed in all EU Member States at the same time on the same date. Adjusting the clocks at the same time is important for international rail and air traffic, for example. Clocks are always changed on the last Sunday of March and October. Early Sunday morning was chosen as the time causing the least inconvenience because the volume of traffic is at its lowest then.

Finland has observed Daylight Saving Time without interruption since 1981. Switching to summer time and back to winter time is a unified practice within the European Union.

European Commission committed to promoting the repeal of Summer-time Directive

In February 2026, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apóstolos Tzitzikostas launched a study to examine the effects of changing the clocks across the EU. The work is to be completed by the end of 2026. The Commission will then assess the need for further measures.

Provisions on changing the clocks are laid down in the EU Directive on summer-time arrangements. As long as the Directive is in force, no Member State can allow the arrangements to be discontinued by national decision. If seasonal time changes were to be discontinued, the Directive should be repealed. That is a decision to be made jointly by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

Already in 2018, the European Commission proposed that the biannual clock changes be abandoned across the EU and the Directive on summer-time arrangements be repealed. However, the initial target schedule for the proposal has not been met.

In spring 2019, the European Parliament voted in favour of ending seasonal time changes. However, the proposal is still awaiting consideration by the Council of the EU, because not all Member States have yet taken a stand on the matter. Finland is in favour of abandoning clock changes.

Inquiries

Mikael Nyberg, Strategic Adviser, Ministerial Governance Department +29 534 2474, [email protected]