Winter and summer time will continue to rotate in the Czech Republic as before, Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Jana Maláčová (ČSSD) announced on Monday after a cabinet meeting. Summer time will continue to start on the last Sunday in March and will last until the last Sunday in October.
According to the regulation, daylight saving time will last from 27 March to 30 October next year, from 26 March to 29 October in 2023, from 31 March to 27 October in 2024, from 30 March to 26 October in 2025, and from 29 March to 25 October in 2026.
The time changes have initially been due to end in the EU in 2019, but member states have not agreed on a single time. The next date for the abolition of the time change was earlier this year. There is no agreement on a single time anymore.
Daylight saving time was initially introduced to reduce energy consumption. According to documents submitted to the government, analyses from some countries have shown that the savings are minimal. According to the European Commission’s 2007 findings, most EU countries surveyed reported that daylight saving time had no significant impact on agriculture, transport, or tourism.
According to a STEM/MARK survey from autumn 2018, 70 percent of respondents agreed with abolishing the time change in the Czech Republic. A total of 44 percent of respondents wanted permanent daylight saving time, and 24 percent wanted standard time. Experts from the Czech Academy of Sciences said at a February seminar in the Senate that winter time would be preferable for health reasons.