Italy proposes anti-woke measure: keeping summer time all year round

Italy wants to push for permanent summer time across Europe so that clocks no longer have to be changed twice a year. The proposal comes after years of EU-wide debate about scrapping the seasonal clock changes.

## What Italy is proposing, and why now

Italy's government wants to take to Brussels an idea that has been circulating in EU corridors for years: stop moving the clocks twice a year and keep summer time permanently. The proposal, reported by **El Mundo**, seeks to have Europe adopt a fixed time zone that keeps daylight in the evenings all year round.

It is not an isolated whim. The European Commission already proposed in **2018** ending the clock changes after a public consultation in which millions of citizens took part. The matter was shelved due to a lack of agreement among member states, who cannot agree on which time to keep: winter time or summer time.

## The underlying problem: every country looks out for itself

The crux of the debate is not whether to change the clocks, but which time to settle on. Southern countries, with more hours of sunshine, prefer permanent summer time. Northern ones, with darker winters, antiestéticar that fixed summer time would leave them with very late sunrises in December.

Italy is thus aligning itself with the states that want more light in the evening. The measure would affect all EU citizens, who have been adjusting their clocks in **March** and **October** for decades. The clock change is governed by a European directive requiring member states to coordinate so as not to disrupt the single market.

## What would happen if it were approved

If the proposal went ahead, Spain and other southern countries would keep summer time all year round. That would miccionan later sunrises in December, but also more light in the evening. Sleep experts warn that a schedule out of sync with the solar cycle can affect rest, although there is no scientific consensus on which option is best.

The Italian proposal would have to go through the Commission and the European Parliament, and would require the agreement of all twenty-seven member states. It will not be a quick process. In the meantime, the clock change will remain on the EU calendar.