PROPOSAL FOR A SIXTH COUNCIL DIRECTIVE ON SUMMERTIME ARRANGEMENTS
Date: 1991-07-10
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: summertime

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

C0M(91) 253 final - SYN 351 

Brussels, 10 July 1991 

PROPOSAL 

FOR A SIXTH COUNCIL  DIRECTIVE 

on summertime  Arrangements 

(presented by the Commission) 

Explanatory  Memorandum 

1.  Summertime  was  introduced  individually  by  the  majority  of  Member 
States  during  the  seventies;  other  Member  States  had  introduced 
summertime earlier. 

Community  legislation  (First  Council  Directive  of  1980)  applied 
from  1981  onwards  and  its  sole  objective  was  progressively  to 
harmonise  the  dates  and  time  for  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
summertime period. 

The  Community  law  on  the  harmonisation  of  the  summertime 
arrangements came as a result of  the need  to suppress the obstacles 
which  the  differing  national  summertime  arrangements  would  create 
to the free movements of goods and services. 

2.  Up to now this goal was achieved except  in the cases of  Ireland and 

the United Kingdom where the end date of summertime still differs. 

The  Commission  recognises  that  this  situation  gives  rise  to 
disadvantages  in  particular  in  the  field  of  transport  and 
communications.  For  some  time  now,  the  British  and  Irish 
Governments have started  to consider  the possibility of  joining  the 
Central  European  Time.  Given  that  the  present  Directive  is 
foreseen  to  last  two years, the Commission  thinks  that  it would  be 
appropriate  to  allow  the  two Member  States  concerned  to  have  the 
possibility  to  settle  the  question  of  the  end  date  at  a  national 
level. 

3.  With  regard  to  the  different  arguments  concerning  the  impact  of 
summertime  and  in  particular  its  possible  negative  effects,  the 
Commission  has, during  recent  years, received  an  increasing  number 
of  complaints  from  individuals  and  pressure  groups  against 
summert ime. 

The  Commission,  on  the  basis  of  studies  on  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages  of  summertime  executed  by  independent  consultants, 
has  consulted  Member  States' experts  to  examine  the  question.  It 
appeared  that Member  States had no  intention  to abandon  summertime 
at  least  for  the  next  few  years.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
Commission proposes to fix dates and time for  the beginning and end 
of  the summertime period  for  the years  1993 and  1994 for  the whole 
of the Community. 

4.  According  to Article  4 of  the present  Fifth  Directive  the  Council 
shall  adopt  by  1 January  1992  the  arrangements  to  apply  from  1993 
onwards. 

The  proposed  Directive  is based  on  Article  100A  as  was  the  case 
with Fifth Directive. 

The cooperation procedure with  the European Parliament  is therefore 
required. 

•SUTM  COUNCIL  DIRECTIVE 

on summert ime arrangements 

THE CQUNC IL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUN IT I ES, 

Having  r*gard  to  the  Treaty  es tabItsshi rig  the  European  Economic 
Community/and  in parrticular Art ic le 400A thereof, 

Waving regard  to the proposa I >from the Commission1• 

In cooperation with  the European Paruament2-

Having  regard  to the opinion of the Economic and Social  Committee3 

Whereas  the  Fifth  Council Directive  89/47/EEC  of  21  December  1988  on 
summertime  arrangements4-  introduced- a common  date and  time  throughout 
the Community  for the beginning of  the summertime period  for  1990, 1991 
and  1992 and,  for  the end of  that period  in these  years,  two different 
dates, one  for Member  States apart  from  Ireland  and  the United Kingdom 
and one for  Ireland and  the United Kingdom, 

Whereas  for as  long as Member  States  apply  summertime  arrangements, it 
Is  important  for  the  establishraent  and  functioning  of  the  internal 
market  that  a  common  date  and  time  for  both  the  beginning  and  end  of 
the summertime  period  should  be  fixed  in the who Ie Community  area  from 
1993 onwards, 

/ 

Whereas,  for  geographical  reasons,  Ireland  and  the  United  Kingdom 
should  be  afforded  the  possibility  of  fixing,  during  one  or  both  of 
those  two  years,  an  end  date  for  summertime  different  from  that 
provided  for  the other Member  States; 

Whereas  Article  4  of  the  Fifth  Directive  provides  that  the  CounciI, 
acting  on  a proposal  of  the Commission,  shall  adopt  by  1 January  1992 
the arrangements  to apply  from  1993 onwards, 

1. 
2. 
3. 
4.  JO L 17, 21.1.1989, p. 57 

Whereas,  for  geographical  reasons,  common  summertime  arrangements 
should not apply  to the overseas  territories of  the Member  States, 

Whereas  it  is appropriate to re-examine  the summertime period  from time 
to  time  and  for  this purpose  arrangements  should  therefore  be  adopted 
for  1993 and 1994, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 

Article 1 

For  the  purposes  of  this  Directive  the expression  "summertime  period" 
means  the period  for  the year  during  which  the  time  is advanced  by  60 
minutes  in relation  to the time for  the rest of  the year. 

Ar t i cIe 2 

Member  States take the measures necessary  to ensure that  in each Member 
State  the  summertime  period  for  1993  and  1994  begins  at  1  a.m. 
Greenwich Mean Time  (GMT) on the  last Sunday  in March, that  is to say: 

in 1993: on 28 March, 
in 1994: on 27 March 

Article 3 

1.  Member  States  shall  take  the measures  necessary  to ensure  that  in 
each  Member  State  the  summertime  period  for  1993  and  1994  ends  at 1 
a.m. Greenwich Mean Time  (GMT) on the  last Sunday  in September, that  is 
to say: 

in 1993: on 26 September, 
in 1994: on 25 September. 

2.  Ireland  and  the  United  Kingdom  may,  however,  take  the  measures 
necessary  to ensure  that  the  summertime  period  for  1993  and  1994 ends 
at  1 a.m.  Greenwich  Mean  Time  (GMT) on  the  fourth  Sunday  in October, 
that  is to say: 

in 1993  : on 24 October, 
in 1994  : on 23 October, 

3.  Should  Ireland and  the United Kingdom decide, before  1994, to bring 
the  end  of  their  summertime  period  into  line with  the  dates  provided 
for  in paragraph  1, they shall  notify  the Commission, which will  inform 
the other Member  States thereof. 

The Council, acting on a proposal  from the Commission, shall  adopt  by 1 
January  1994 the arrangements  to apply  from 1995 onwards. 

Art icle 4 

This  Directive  shall  not  apply  to  the  overseas  territories  of  the 
Member  States. 

Art icle 5 

Art icle 6 

This directive  is addressed  to the Member  States 

Done at Brussels, 

For  the Counci 

The President 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(91) 253 final 

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