EU Faces Calls from Poland to Permanently End Daylight Saving Time Adjustments
The Polish government has taken the lead in advocating for the elimination of daylight saving time (DST) within the European Union (EU), as part of its six-month rotating presidency. This renewed push, which began in the first half of 2025, has garnered fresh momentum, but the fate of DST in the EU remains uncertain.
Poland's Development Minister, Krzysztof Paszyk, met with European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, to discuss the initiative. Minister Paszyk has positioned the issue as a priority for Poland's presidency.
The Polish government argues that abolishing DST would bring economic and health benefits, citing numerous studies that link DST transitions to negative health effects, including sleep disturbances, increased stress, and a higher risk of heart attacks in the days following the clock shift.
However, the EU has struggled to finalize a decision on the abolition of DST. Discussions stalled in 2019 when member states failed to agree on whether to permanently adopt standard time or daylight saving time. The challenge remains to unite EU member states behind a single, definitive policy on DST.
In 2018, the European Commission proposed ending DST, but progress stalled due to resistance from some member states. The commission has since left the decision to individual countries, but Poland has a key role in coordinating the discussion to abolish DST.
The background of the debate on DST includes its introduction during World War I to conserve energy, its permanent adoption by many countries, and the EU standardizing time changes in 1996. Growing concerns over its effectiveness and impact on health and the economy have fueled calls for its abolition.
As of July 2025, there is no public record or official European Union decision confirming the abolition of DST, despite Poland’s recent push or any explicit backing from the European Commission. The European Parliament did vote to end mandatory DST changes by 2021, but the implementation has been delayed and no conclusive EU-wide abolition has been finalized or enforced yet.
Recent news and official briefings from mid-2025 do not mention any new or finalized moves towards abolishing DST in the EU. The European Commission seems engaged in other priority policy areas, such as trade and regulations, without reports about DST abolition decisions.
More details about the new proposals to abolish DST will be shared soon. Supporters of abolishing DST argue that the twice-yearly clock changes disrupt people's health, productivity, and economic stability. The challenge remains to unite EU member states behind a single, definitive policy on DST, but Poland's push could bring the issue back into the spotlight.
- The Polish government's push to eliminate daylight saving time (DST) on the EU agenda is backed by the General News, as part of Poland's six-month rotating presidency in the first half of 2025.
- During discussions on the DST initiative, Poland's Development Minister, Krzysztof Paszyk, met with the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who stressed the economic and health benefits that could result from abolishing DST.
- Despite recent discussions, the EU has yet to reach a definitive conclusion on the DST matter, as member states still grapple with whether to adopt standard time or daylight saving time, influenced by the complex web of politics and energy policy considerations.
- In the European Commission's efforts to address various priority policy areas, including trade and regulations, no clear mention of decisions regarding DST abolition has been reported as of July 2025.
- The history of the DST debate stretches back to World War I, when it was originally introduced to conserve energy, followed by its permanent adoption by many countries and the EU standardizing time changes in 1996.
- AI systems are being harnessed to analyze the potential impacts of DST on European economies and environments in order to aid policymakers in formulating informed decisions that minimize negative consequences and maximize benefits for the general welfare.
