This weekend, people in the Czech Republic will lose one hour of sleep. On the night between Saturday and Sunday, March 29, at 02:00, clocks will be moved one hour forward. Despite many years of discussions in Brussels about canceling this practice, the switch to daylight saving time in the European Union will remain the same until at least the end of 2026.
The European Union approved a plan to cancel seasonal clock changes in 2019, but the implementation of this idea has stalled. The main reason is the lack of agreement among member countries on which time to keep permanently: summer or winter time.
In the Czech Republic, the rules for the change are regulated by a government decree adopted in 2021 for a period of five years. This means the current system will continue until at least October 2026. If the EU does not reach a common decision by then, the Czech cabinet of ministers will have to pass a new law for the period from 2027.
Sleep medicine specialists criticize the spring clock change, calling it "jet lag without flying." Psychiatrist Peter Šoš notes that the disruption of biological rhythms increases irritability and the risk of heart attacks. At the same time, statistics show an increase in traffic accidents and workplace injuries in the first few days after the clocks are changed due to lack of sleep. Expert Roman Budský warns that while daylight saving time provides more light in the evening, the return to standard time in October causes a spike in accidents involving pedestrians, as drivers do not have enough time to adjust to the early darkness.
Interesting fact: the famous Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square is one of the few mechanisms that does not switch to daylight saving time. The complex clock system simultaneously tracks Babylonian, Old Bohemian, sidereal, and Central European time, as well as the movement of the Sun and Moon through the Zodiac signs. Artificially moving the hands forward by one hour would disrupt the accuracy of all astronomical calculations, so it always shows standard (winter) time.
