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FDP to demand Germany end daylight saving time changes

Published: 22 Oct 09 10:52 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091022-22743.html

Germany’s Free Democrats (FDP), soon to be the junior coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, want to end annual daylight saving changes in favour of keeping Europe on summer time for the entire year.

The FDP energy expert Gudrun Kopp told the Rheinische Post daily on Thursday that the switching clocks forward an hour in March and back again in October each year had no perceivable economic or environmental benefits yet caused unnecessary bureaucratic hassles.

“We want to start a new initiative that will end the reoccurring burden people face with the changes,” said Kopp, adding research had shown there are more driving accidents and schoolchildren were less focused in class after switching the clocks.

She criticised the last German government for failing to take up the issue before the European Union extended the current summer time regulations for all 27 members, but said the FDP would still press the matter since it was clear the time change had “absolutely no purpose” and plenty of disadvantages.

Kopp told the paper it was logical to keep summer time, when the sun sets later, as Europe’s “normal time” since it improved people’s quality of life.

Germany and the rest of Europe will set clocks back one hour on Sunday morning.

The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

11:11 October 23, 2009 by hkypuck
THE ANSWER IS HERE!!!

How about simply shortening the work day for "office workers" (e.g. folks that work in non-consumer positions)? I work in a small Bavarian village, in an office building (heck, I'm using company time to write this comment!) and in the middle of winter I go to work: DARK! Shops, stores, backeries: NOT OPEN YET. When I head home: DARK! Shops, stores, backeries: NOT OPEN ANYMORE.

I'm considering asking the boss if I can just come in at noon - get all my errands done in the morning, and "arbeit" from 12 - 20:00 uhr.

WHO'S WITH ME?!!!

...(crickets chirping)...
12:59 October 23, 2009 by michael4096
Personally, I don't care as much about which hours are set as long as there are international agreements about when they change. Each country deciding if / when to change makes international business much harder and costlier.

GWB didn't do the US any favors when he arbitrarily changed their rules. For a pro-business group, the FDP should learn from him. Aagh! I forgot, it's not about actually changing anything but just associating the party name with the concept, isn't it?
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