Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on summer-time arrangements
Date: 2000-06-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, approximation of laws, quality of life, summertime

C 337 E/136

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

28.11.2000

Proposal

for a Directive of

the European Parliament and of
arrangements

the Council on summer-time

(2000/C 337 E/18)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 302 final (cid:14) 2000/0140(COD)

(Submitted by the Commission on 20 june 2000)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 95 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty,

Whereas:

(1) Eighth Directive 97/44/EC of the European Parliament and
of
the Council of 22 July 1997 on summer-time
arrangements (1) introduced a common date and time in
the beginning and end of
all Member States,
summer-time in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

for

(2) Given that

States

the Member
summer-time
it is important for the functioning of the
arrangements,
internal market
that a common date and time for the
beginning and end of the summer-time period be fixed
throughout the Community.

apply

(3) The summer-time period considered most appropriate by
the Member States runs from the end of March to the end
of October; that period should therefore be maintained.

(4) The proper

functioning of certain sectors, not only
transport and communications, but also other sectors of
industry, requires stable,
long-term planning. Provisions
concerning summer-time should therefore be laid down
for an unlimited period. Article 4 of Directive 97/44/EC
provides, in that respect, that the European Parliament and
the Council are to adopt, by 1 January 2001,
the
arrangements to apply from 2002 onwards.

(5) For

reasons of clarity and accuracy of

information, a
timetable for
the summer-time
period for the following five years should be drawn up
and published every five years.

the implementation of

(6) Implementation of

this Directive should, moreover, be
monitored by means of a report on the impact of the

(1) OJ L 206, 1.8.1997, p. 62.

provisions of this Directive in all of the areas concerned
submitted to the European Council and the Economic and
Social Committee by the Commission. That report should
be based on the information made available to the
Commission by the Member States in sufficient time to
enable the report to be presented at the specified time.

(7) In accordance with the principles of

harmonisation

subsidiarity and
proportionality as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty, the
complete
the
of
summer-time period with a view to facilitating transport
and communications cannot be sufficiently achieved by the
Member States and can therefore be better achieved by the
Community. This Directive confines itself to the minimum
required in order to achieve those objectives and does not
go beyond what is necessary for that purpose.

timetable

the

for

(8) For geographical

common summer-time
arrangements should not apply to the overseas territories
of the Member States,

reasons,

the

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

For the purposes of this Directive @summer-time periodA shall
mean the period of
the year during which clocks are put
forward by 60 minutes compared with the rest of the year.

Article 2

From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall begin, in
every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on
the last Sunday in March.

Article 3

From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall end in
every Member State at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on
the last Sunday in October.

Article 4

The Commission shall publish a communication in the Official
Journal of the European Communities, for the first time on the
occasion of the publication of this Directive, and every five
years thereafter, containing the timetable showing the dates
on which the summer-time period will begin and end for the
following five years.

28.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 337 E/137

Article 5

the provisions of

The Commission shall report to the European Parliament, the
Council and the Economic and Social Committee on the
impact of
this Directive on the sectors
concerned by 31 December 2007 at the latest. That report
shall be drawn up on the basis of
the information made
available to the Commission by each Member State by
30 April 2007 at the latest.

Directive by 31 December 2001 at
forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

the latest. They shall

When the Member States adopt those provisions, they shall
contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by
such a reference on the occasion of their official publication.
Member States shall determine how such reference is to be
made.

Article 6

Article 8

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

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities.

Article 7

Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary to comply with this

Article 9

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Communication (1) from the Commission pursuant to Article 4 of Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council on summer-time arrangements

Timetable for the summer-time period

For 2002-2006 inclusive, the summer-time periods will begin and end respectively on the following dates
at 1.00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time:

B in 2002: the Sundays of 31 March and 27 October;

B in 2003: the Sundays of 30 March and 26 October;

B in 2004: the Sundays of 28 March and 31 October;

B in 2005: the Sundays of 27 March and 30 October;

B in 2006: the Sundays of 26 March and 29 October.

(1) To be published separately in the Official Journal of the European Communities following adoption of the Directive.