Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 January 2001 on summer-time arrangements
Date: 2001-01-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: EU policy, approximation of laws, common transport policy, communications policy, industrial policy, summertime

2.2.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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DIRECTIVE 2000/84/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 19 January 2001

on summer-time arrangements

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

(7)

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

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty (3),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

The eighth Directive, 97/44/EC, of the European Parlia-
ment and of the Council of 22 July 1997 on summer-
time arrangements (4) introduced a common date and
time in all Member States, for the beginning and end of
summer time in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

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

Since the summer-time period considered most appro-
priate by the Member States runs from the end of March
to the end of October, it is appropriate that that period
therefore be maintained.

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 unspecified period. Article 4 of Directive 97/
44/EC provides, in that respect, that the European Parlia-
ment and the Council are to adopt, by 1 January 2001,
the arrangements to apply from 2002 onwards.

For reasons of clarity and accuracy of information, a
timetable for the implementation of the summer-time
period for the following five years should be published
every five years.

Implementation of this Directive should, moreover, be
monitored by means of a report, to be presented by the
Commission to the European Parliament, the Council
and the Economic and Social Committee, on the impact
of these provisions in all of the areas concerned. That
report should be based on the information made avail-
able to the Commission by the Member States in suffi-
cient time to enable the report to be presented at the
specified time.

(1) OJ C 337, 28.11.2000, p. 136.
(2) Opinion delivered on 29 November 2000 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(3) Opinion of the European Parliament of 12 December 2000 (not yet
Journal) and Council Decision of 20

published in the Official
December 2000.

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

Given that the complete harmonisation of the timetable
for the 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 at Community level, the Community
may take measures, in accordance with the principle of
subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. This
is necessary to
Directive does not go beyond what
achieve those objectives.

(8)

For geographical reasons,
the common summer-time
arrangements should not apply to the overseas terri-
tories of the Member States,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

For the purposes of this Directive ‘summer-time period’ 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 (5), 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.

Article 5

The Commission shall report to the European Parliament, the
Council and the Economic and Social Committee on the
this Directive on the sectors
impact of
concerned by 31 December 2007 at the latest.

the provisions of

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.

The Commission shall, if necessary and following the conclu-
sions of the report, make appropriate proposals.

(5) OJ C 35, 2.2.2001.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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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 day of its publica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 7

Article 9

Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary to comply with this
Directive by 31 December 2001 at the latest. They shall forth-
with inform the Commission thereof.

When Member States adopt those measures, 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.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 19 January 2001.

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The President

N. FONTAINE

The President

B. RINGHOLM