Today spring enters our lives with the equinox and with it the day that the clocks change - yet again - for summer time approaches; i.e. the 27th of March.

The Spanish Government, hitherto with their arms full with the Covid crisis, has finally made a decision about when this clock-changing lark will come to an end, which will be 2026.

On the morning of the 27th of this month, 02.00h will become 03.00h meaning that you will lose an hour in bed… or if you are working nightshift, you will work an hour less. Then on the 30th of October the clocks will switch back again.

This hour change sequence will go ahead despite the recommendations from the ARHOE-Comisión Nacional para la Racionalización de Horarios Españoles, who are completely against farting around with the time as it affects people’s health.

Therefore, for the next four years, despite everybody and his dog knowing that it is a complete waste of time and even counterproductive, the following dates will see clock changing:

Change to Summer Time – 02.00h becomes 03.00h:
2022 Sunday, 27th March
2023 Sunday, 26th March
2024 Sunday, 31st March
2025 Sunday, 30th March
2026 Sunday, 29th March

Change to Winter Time – 03.00h becomes 02.00h:
2022 Sunday, 30th October
2023 Sunday, 29th October
2024 Sunday, 27th October
2025 Sunday, 26th October
2026 Sunday, 25th October

It was in 2018 that the Board of Ministers decided to bring into being a commission of experts to draw up a report on the twice-yearly hour change. They were also charged with deciding whether to keep Spain on Central European Time, rather than Greenwich Meantime as our geographical position suggests.

In March the following year the commission concluded that it was nuts to continue changing the time backwards and forward and that furthermore, it was not healthy, affecting negatively people’s biorhythms. However, they said that the nation should be consulted before doing anything.

The European Commission has already recognised that there is no economic savings generated by fiddling around with the clock and that this stealing an hour here or sticking one back in there, does people harm – Austrian research shows that the death rate goes up two weeks after the clocks are changed.

(News: Spain)