Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all tentatively back switching to permanent summer time following a recent discussion by the Baltics’ transport ministers.
While all three Baltic countries fundamentally support the transition to permanent summer time, or daylight saving time (DST), outgoing Transport Minister Atis Svinka says broader public discussion is still needed on the issue.
A key factor in the three countries’ final decision will be Finland’s position, as it is vital for Estonia to maintain the same time zone as its northern neighbor.
Finland currently remains in favor of remaining on permanent winter time, or standard time.
Svinka stressed that the Baltic States nonetheless needed a unified approach to the time change, citing the twin border cities of Valga and Valka as an example of why they could not end up remaining in different time zones.
While Finland and Estonia are separated by the Gulf of Finland, all three Baltic States are joined by land borders.
In 2018, the European Commission proposed legislation to end the practice of seasonal clock changes, leaving the decision on whether to remain permanently on DST or standard time up to individual member states.
Public consultations revealed overwhelming support for ending clock changes.
The following year, the European Parliament supported the proposal by a large majority, but subsequent decisions were postponed, including in the wake of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Estonian government approved abolishing time changes in 2018, without specifying which time it preferred to remain on permanently.
The Riigikogu’s European Union Affairs Committee, meanwhile, voiced its support for permanent DST.
The committee chair at the time, Center MP Toomas Vitsut, said their primary argument in favor of permanent DST was that it would grant Estonian residents more daylight for various activities. (ERR)