North could be in different time zone in EU’s new plan

AN EU plan to abolish the changing of the clocks could create a ‘disastrous’ scenario of different time zones between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit, it is feared.

The EU yesterday revealed proposals to end the practice of turning the clocks back by an hour in the autumn after a survey found there was massive support for the change.

European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, has pledged ‘we will make it happen’ – but there are fears the United Kingdom might decide not to follow the EU change, which is unlikely to happen before Brexit is completed.

In 2011, the UK was forced to abandon plans to move its time zone an hour earlier to Central European Time after objections in Scotland and northern England where some areas would not have seen daylight until 10am.

Sinn Féin Senator Pádraig MacLochlainn said such a split would be ‘disastrous’ for the country.

‘Two different time zones in Ireland for half the year, that’s the worry. It adds a whole new challenge. I’m up in Donegal and our hinterland is Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, so it’d be preposterous.’

The Commission said it received 4.6million responses in public consultation from people across the EU’s 28 countries, the highest number of participants ever. Preliminary figures show over twothirds, or more than three million, of the responses were from Germans. Approximately 11,500 people did the survey in Ireland.

Mr Juncker said: ‘Millions responded and believe summer time should be yearround, and that will happen.’

Any change would still need approval from national governments and European Parliament to become law.

Current EU law requires that citizens in all 28 EU countries move their clocks an hour forward on the last Sunday in March and switch back to winter time on the final Sunday in October.

The Commission yesterday announced that it will propose a directive to member states and the European Parliament to abolish twice-yearly clockswitching following the poll.

The time change had always traditionally been supported by farmers but their stance has changed. An IFA spokesman said: ‘Technology and mechanisation has reduced the need for it.’

The proposed change was also strongly welcomed by the Irish Road Haulage Association, where a spokesman said: ‘It would make a huge difference to a working day. Drivers most certainly would prefer to stay on summertime all year.’

And Irish Rural Link chief Séamus Boland, who represents hundreds of rural communities, said: ‘Most people in rural parts definitely think the October change is too soon, and the March change is too late. But they would prefer the summertime remaining throughout.’

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, welcomed the findings. He said: ‘Having been part of a small group of MEPs that have worked to keep this issue to the fore since the beginning of my time in office in 2009, I think we can say with certainty our efforts were justified given the overwhelming majority of EU citizens agree that we should do away with the bi-annual clock change.’

christian.mccashin@dailymail.ie

‘Technology has reduced need’