When do the clocks change in France this month?
Policy was first introduced in 1916, then again in 1976. Many now want to see it abolished for good
Do not forget to put your manual clocks back by hand, or risk confusion
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Clocks will go back one hour in France later this month, providing an extra hour of light in the evenings.
The change will happen at 03:00 in the morning of Sunday October 27 (where they will change to 02:00), granting an extra hour of sleep and more natural daylight during the working day (with the sunrise coming an hour earlier).
Read more: Strikes, French property tax deadlines: Key dates in October
Digital devices such as smartphones and computers/laptops will update to the new time automatically, but manual clocks and watches will need to be changed by hand.
In return, clocks will move forward on March 30, 2025, making the sunset come later (but causing a loss of an hour’s sleep). Incidentally, this is the same day the winter rental truce (trêve hivernale) finishes.
Read more: The Brittany island that refused to switch from summer time
Why are the clocks changing? Is it being abolished?
Clocks first changed in France in 1916 at the height of World War One in an effort to save coal from being used during the working day so it could be prioritised for the war effort.
The policy stayed in place until 1944, when it was abolished after the country’s Liberation in World War Two.
It was brought back in 1976, again to conserve energy, in light of the 1973 oil crisis.
Energy savings from the policy are now minimal, and with the confusion from the clock changes, lack of global agreement on daylight savings, and disruption to sleep patterns, many now want to get rid of the policy altogether.
This includes countries in the EU, and by extension France – 84% of people surveyed in 2018 wanted to see an end to clocks going back and forward, with nearly five million people across the bloc responding.
Subsequently, the EU Commission drafted a bill ending daylight savings, asking member states to choose whether to stay in winter or summer time, with a plan to abolish clock changes altogether in 2021.
The Covid-19 crisis and various political issues have seen this plan placed on the backburner, however, and there is currently no sign of the policy being initiated in the next year or so.
If the policy comes to the forefront again, however, France is likely to abolish the clock changes once more.
