Lithuania to prioritise ending seasonal clock changes during EU presidency
Lithuania will make ending the biannual time change a key priority during its EU Council presidency in the first half of next year, according to Transport Minister Juras Taminskas. He has been consulting with other EU member states and aims to bring the issue to the negotiating table.
Lithuanian Transport Minister Juras Taminskas announced on Tuesday that ending the twice-yearly clock change will be a key priority for the country during its presidency of the European Union Council in the first half of next year. Taminskas said he has been actively working on the issue, having already spoken with colleagues from Sweden and France about the possibility of stopping the clock changes. He informed them that Lithuania will sit down at the negotiating table next year, as this is one of the country's priorities.
The minister noted that he had already reached out to ministers from Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Finland and Sweden in the spring to urge joint action, and is now continuing consultations with southern European states. While the European Parliament and the European Commission support ending the biannual time change, it remains mandatory under an EU directive. Most member states have yet to back the proposal, and the Commission is currently conducting an additional impact assessment. Taminskas expressed optimism that Lithuania's presidency could advance the long-standing debate.
