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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(81)137
Vol.1981/0035

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(81)137 final
Brussels,27March1981
/
.r,
/,
Proposalfora
SecondCouncilDirective
onSummertime Arrangements
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission )
C0MC81>137final

ProposalforaSecondCouncilDirective on
Summertime Arrangements
vExplanatory Memorandum
Introduction
TheCouncilofMinistersadoptedon22July1980aDirective
onsummertime arrangements whichset29and28Marchasthedateson
whichsummertimeshouldbeginineachMemberStatein1981and1982
respectively (1).Article4oftheDirectivestatesthattheCouncil,
actingonaCommission proposalandassoonaspossible,willadopt
morecomprehensive measuresfortheharmonisation ofsummertime .*
2».Thecaseforadoptinguniformsummertimearrangements in
theCommunityintheinterestsofcross-frontiertransport andtele­
communications andasapracticaldemonstrat-ion ofCommunitysolidarity
haslostnoneofitsforce.Indeed,itisdesirableforasinglesummer
timeperiodtobe'adoptedaswidelyaspossibleinEuropeasawhole.
Theindications .arethatthebestwayofachievingthism^ybeforthe
Community,havingtakenfullaccountoftheviewsandpracticeof
othercountries,totaketheleadinadoptingsuitablearrangements .
3.TheCommission hasalreadyproposedcommonenddatesfor
summertimeintheCommunityin1981and1982(11and10October
respectively).Thepurposeofthepresentproposalistopropose .
commondatesforstartingandendingsummertimein1983andsubsequent
years.Forthesakeofconvenience theproposeddatesareexpressed
intermsofformulae. ~ .
(1)CouncilDirective no.80/737/EEC,0Jno.L205/17
of7.8.80

Startofthepernod
4.Althoughagreement hasalreadybeenreachedoncommonstarting
datesforsummertimein1981and1982,someMemberStatescontinueto
harbournationalpreferences whichwouldnormallytendtoproducedifferent
ιdates.Forexample,twoMemberStateshaveuntilnowemployed aformula
whichproducesdatesbetween16and22March,alwaysbeforetheirEaster.
AtleastoneoftheseMemberStatesattachesimportance,ongeneralsocial
grounds,toEaster'salwaysfallingwithinthesummertimeperiod.In
informaldiscussion withtheCommission'sservicesanotherMemberState
hassuggestedthepenultimate SundayinMarch,whichgives,asimilarrange
ofdates(18to24March)totheformulajustmentioned.Onedelegation
suggestedthelastSundayinMarch,whichwouldgivetherange25to31
March.Finally,twoMemberStatesseeattractions inchoosingtheSunday
nearestto1April,whichgivesarangeofdatesfrom29Marchto4April.
5.Inspiteofthesedifferencesitisnevertheless clearlyessential
topreserve'intheyearsafter1982thecommonpositiononthestartof
summertimewhichhasbeenagreedfor1981and1982.Acompromise between
thenationalpreferences isrequiredwhichcannotescapeadegreeof
arbitrariness .Thebestwayaheadmightbetoproposedatesfallingsome­
wherenearthemiddleofthepreferred ranges,subjecttoensuringthat
Easteralwaysfallswithinthesummertimeperiod,acriterion whose
attractions theCommissionrecognises.Onthisbasis,theCommission's
proposalisthateachMemberStateshouldstartsummertimeonthelast
SundayinMarch,unlessthisiscelebrated asEasterinoneormoreMember
States,inwhichcasesummertimeshouldstartonthepreviousSundayx.
Thisformulawouldgivestartingdatesfallingbetween19and31March
intheyears1983-2000,asfollows:
(1)EasterSundayascelebrated bythewesternchurchesisdue
tofallonthelastSundayinMarchin1986,1989,1991and1997.
TheOrthodoxEasterdoesnotfallinMarch.

March
1983 27
1984 , 25 '
1985 31
... ■1986 23 --
1987 ' 29
1988 ' 27 •
1989 ' 19
1990 25
1991 . 24
1992 • 29
1993 . 28
.1994 27 - -
1995 26 ,'
1996 '31 ■
1997 23
1998 29
.1999 28
2Q00 26
/ •"'
Itwill however benoted that except in1989 ,when the Easter of
thewestern churches falls very early ,all •thedates fall within
theeight day range 23-31March .
End ofthe period
6. The Community has notyetbeen able toadopt common dates
forthe endofthesummer time period .TwoMember States currently
employ aformula which produces dates between 23and29October .Two
other Member States are inclined toprefer the last Sunday inSeptember ,
which implies arange ofdates from 24to30September .Theother
Member States could probably accept acompromise ;between these two
positions ,which ,intheyears 1983 to2000 ,would produce .dates
usually four but onthree occasions five weeks apart .Inthese
circumstances there aretwopossible simple compromise formulae :that
summer time should endeither onthesecond Sunday inOctober "
(producing' arange ofdates from 8to14October )oronthethird
Sunday (producing the range 15~to21October ).Theoption which comes
much closer tosplitting thedifference between theexisting preferences
ofcertain Member States isthesecond Sunday ,andthis the
Commission proposes .27
25
31
23
.29
27
19
25
24
29
28
Z7
26
'31 ■
23
29
28
,26

-4-
Timeatwhichtheclocksshouldbechanged
7.CouncilDirective no.80/737/EECprovidesforsummertime
tobeintroduced ineachMemberStateat1a.m.G.M.T..TheCommission
proposesthatthisprecedentshouldbefollowedforboththebeginning
andtheendofsummertimeintheyearsfrom1983onwards.
ExclusionofGreenland andoverseasterritories ofMemberStates
fromscopeofmeasure .
8.Itseemsappropriate,asitwasdoneinCouncilDirective
no.80/737/EEC,toexcludetheseareasfromthescopeoftheDirective
nowproposed. ,\
Conclusion
9.ThetimehascomefortheCommunitytoadoptuniformsummer
timearrangements onapermanentbasis.Thestartingandenddates
proposedbytheCommission intheattachedproposalforaCouncil
Directiverepresentreasonable compromises betweenthepreferences
ofcertainMemberStates,andwouldinvolvetheseinonlymarginal
adjustments oftheirpresentpositions.

ProposalforaSecondCouncilDirective ,onSummertimeArrangements \
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES/•'
.*
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomic
Community,andinparticularArticle100thereof,
i ■•.J . •
^ . - •■
Havingregardtothe.proposalfromtheCommission,
•'' ■.. ■ * ■
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament,^
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee;
.WhereasCouncilDirective80/737/EECof22July1960onsummertime
arrangements (1)introduced acommondateandtimeforthebeginning
ofthesummertimeperiodiotheCommunityforthe'years"1981and1982
WhereasArticle4ofthatDirectivestatesthattheCouncil,acting
onaCommissionproposalandassoonaspossible,willadoptmore
comprehensive measuresfortheharmonization ofsummertime;
Whereassuchmeasuresarehighlydesirable,inparticularinthe
interestsoffacilitating andreducing-thecostsoftransportand
telecommunications betweenMemberStates.;
Whereastheyshouldprovideforcommondatesforthebeginningand
endofthesummertimeperiodVfortheyearsfrom1983onwards;
Whereasforgeographical reasonscommonsummertimearrangements
neednotbeappliedtoGreenlandortotheoverseasterritories
oftheMemberStates,;:''v
HASADOPTED .THISDIRECTIVE :
(1)0Jno.L205/17of7.8.80

Article 1
ForthepurposesofthisDirectivetheexpression "summertime
period"means ,theperiodoftheyearduringwhichthetimeisadvanced
bysixtyminutesinrelationtothetimefortherestoftheyear.
Article2
MemberStatesshalltakethenecessarymeasuresinorderthat,
in1983.andsubsequentyears,thesummertimeperiodshall,ineachMember
State: . v■
a)beginat1a.m.GreenwichMeanTimeon'thelastSundayinMarch,
\•unlessthisiscelebratedasEasterinoneormoreMemberStates,
inwhichcaseitshallbeginonthepreviousSunday;
b)endat1a.m.GMTonthesecondSundayinOctober.'
Article3
ThisDirectiveshallnotconcernGreenlandortheoverseas
territories oftheMemberStates.
', '
Article4
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.
Doneat
FortheCouncil
ThePresident