Twice at a time, the French move their clocks back and forth to accommodate the winter and summer time changes. After the switch to winter time that took place in October, the French had to move their clocks forward one hour to adapt to summer time.
It is during the night of Saturday March 30 to Sunday March 31 that the transition to daylight saving time will occur. While digital watches and other smartphones adjust automatically, users of mechanical watches have to set their watches manually. It is exactly on March 31, Sunday, when it will be 2 o’clock, you have to move your clock forward one hour, setting it to 3 o’clock. A change that is not without consequences for the French’s habits and sleep.
A time conversion system was introduced in 1975 for economic purposes. According to Adem, it allowed France to achieve savings in lighting equivalent to the consumption of 800,000 households in 2009. However, in March 2019, the European Parliament, which investigated the question, decided by a large majority that the bill that ends the time change in the old continent.
Are we heading towards the end of the summer/winter time change?
But in the meantime, there was the Covid-19 health crisis as well as the war in Ukraine, which pushed the topic of time change into the background. When the subject is again put on the table, it will be ” Each Member State determines the legal time it wishes to adopt », announced the European Commission when questioned by Euronews In 2022. It must be said that the relevance of switching to summer time is called into question more than ever due to its impact on health. Besides depriving the French of an hour of sleep, it disrupts their biological clock.
As for the next time changes, it will be October 2024 followed by March 2025. In fact, the transition to winter time in 2024 will occur on Sunday, October 27. When it’s 3 a.m. the French will set their clocks back an hour to get an hour of sleep. As for the next change to daylight saving time, it will be on Sunday March 30, 2025. It is at 2 o’clock that you have to move your clock forward one hour.
