EU scrapped the plan — but the clock will still change: Here’s when Europe switches time in 2026

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The debate has been going on for years, yet the routine remains unchanged. Although the European Union once aimed to abolish the seasonal clock change, millions across Europe — including Austria and Germany — will again adjust their clocks twice in 2026. As summer slowly fades, the familiar question returns: When exactly is the next time change?

Winter time begins on 25 October 2026

Since the night of Saturday, 28 March to Sunday, 29 March, Europe has been on Mitteleuropäische Sommerzeit (MESZ), Central European Summer Time. The next switch comes in autumn:

Sunday, 25 October 2026
At 3:00 a.m., clocks move back to 2:00 a.m.
The night becomes one hour longer, giving everyone an extra hour of sleep.

This marks the return to Normalzeit (MEZ), commonly known as winter time.

Why the time change always feels “earlier” or “later”

Every six months, confusion spreads: Is the time change earlier this year? Technically, no. The switch always happens on:

the last Sunday in March (start of summer time)
the last Sunday in October (start of winter time)

In 2026, the last March Sunday fell on 29 March, making some headlines claim the change came “earlier”. But this is simply a calendar effect:

2025: 30 March
2026: 29 March
2027: 28 March
2030: 31 March — the next time it will feel “later”

The schedule itself never changes.

Why the EU never abolished the time change

The EU once planned to end the biannual clock shift after a 2018 public consultation showed strong support for abolition. But member states could not agree on which permanent time to adopt — summer time or winter time. Without consensus, the reform stalled, and the familiar ritual continues.

If you want, I can also prepare a short explainer on the EU debate.