When Do Clocks Change in Europe in 2026? Daylight Saving Dates Explained

Daylight saving time ends in Europe on Sunday, October 25, 2026. At 03:00 Central European Summer Time, clocks move back to 02:00, giving most of the continent an extra hour of sleep and shifting the one-hour difference between summer time and standard (winter) time out of the clock until spring 2027.

Exact date and sequence of the 2026 change

1. Clocks stay on summer time through the night of Saturday, October 24 into Sunday, October 25, 2026.
2. At 03:00 local time on October 25 (02:00 in the UK and Portugal, which use Western European Time), clocks are set back one hour.
3. Because of the shift, the hour between 02:00 and 03:00 occurs twice that night.
4. Standard (winter) time then applies until the next change, which moves clocks forward again on the last Sunday of March 2027.
5. The change applies across the EU, the UK, Switzerland and most other European countries, which coordinate their clock changes under shared or similar national rules.

Why the EU time-change debate is back on the table

The European Union has required coordinated biannual clock changes since a 2000 directive, and that rule remains in force for 2026, according to reporting from the French outlet Sortiraparis. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to let member states end the practice, but the plan has been stuck in the Council of the European Union ever since because governments disagree on which single permanent time to adopt.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez revived the push on October 20, 2025, announcing in a video posted on social platform X that Spain would formally ask the EU to abolish the clock change, according to European Newsroom. Sánchez said he no longer saw a reason for the practice, citing surveys showing EU citizens oppose it and the absence of proven energy savings. Finland and Poland have backed the renewed push, and the European Commission has put the issue back on its 2026 work programme, European Newsroom reported.

Germany remains the main obstacle, according to Il Sole 24 Ore: Berlin wants a full economic impact study first and insists that at least two-thirds of member states agree on the same permanent time before any change, to avoid a patchwork of time zones across neighbouring countries. France has also urged caution without formalising its own preference. Even if the Council reached quick agreement, Sortiraparis reported that implementation would realistically come no earlier than 2027 or 2028.

What sleep and health researchers recommend

Independent of the political debate, sleep medicine groups have a clear position on which permanent time would be healthier if the EU or other governments ever drop the switch. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time recommend permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time, saying it aligns better with the body's natural circadian rhythm because it preserves brighter mornings.

The academy argues that permanent daylight saving time would leave winter mornings darker, reducing morning light exposure that is considered important for sleep, mood and daytime alertness. It says the effect would be especially relevant for adolescents, who are more sensitive to losing morning light.

What happens next

For 2026, no change to the current system has been adopted: the clock switch on October 25 goes ahead as usual under the existing EU directive. Whether the EU eventually moves to a single permanent time depends on the Council reaching consensus among governments that currently disagree on which time to keep, according to both European Newsroom and Il Sole 24 Ore.