Alex Trelinski
CLOCKS in Spain go forward on March 31 to herald Daylight Saving Time for the summer with longer lighter evenings.
The switch over Easter weekend will be welcomed by many but that’s countered by early birds having to put up with darker starts to the day.
The change will be at 2.00am on Easter Day, with the exception being the Canary Islands which switches an hour earlier, as it shares the same time zone with Portugal and the British Isles.
In 2019, the European Parliament voted to end all clock switches but that was not legally binding on EU countries.
There was a lot of discussion at that time about Spain keeping the clocks forward all year round but then the Covid pandemic intervened.
Opposition to it comes from northern regions like Galicia that would not see daylight during the winter until well after 9.00am.
Advocates of not turning the clock back in late October say there is more light in the late afternoon for outdoor social time with family and friends.
Figures also suggest fewer crimes happened during more daylight hours and electricity bills are lower with reduced evening usage.
Arguments for keeping things as they are in the late autumn and winter include earlier sunrises and better sleep patterns which are more in tune with the biological clock.
A survey in 2022 revealed that 64% of people in Spain wanted the time change abolished.
