What does the EU have to do with summertime?
The time when summer begins and ends is the same in all Member States of the EU.
However, it has not always been that way. In 1980 all the EU countries had summer time, but with different starting and ending dates. The first EU summer time regulations were introduced in 1981. The dates and time differences for the start and end of summer time until 2006 are now laid down in a directive. In March 2011 the Commission made the dates for the years to come until 2016 public in a communication.
| Year | Period |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Sunday 27 March and Sunday 30 October |
| 2012 | Sunday 25 March and Sunday 28 October |
| 2013 | Sunday 31 March and Sunday 27 October |
| 2014 | Sunday 30 March and Sunday 26 October |
| 2015 | Sunday 29 March and Sunday 25 October |
| 2016 | Sunday 27 March and Sunday 30 October |
Updated: 15/03/2007/MAKT