End of DST in Europe 2023
By Sara Kornberg and Mathew Gundersen. Published 2-Oct-2023
On Sunday, October 29, 2023, clocks will be set back 1 hour in most of Europe as Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends.
The regions with stripes will change their clocks on October 29, 2023.
©timeanddate.com
When Do Clocks Change in Europe?
Clocks in most European countries are turned back by 1 hour on October 29, 2023 at 01:00 UTC. Since Europe spans several time zones, the switch from summer time to standard time occurs at different local times (see table below).
DST in Europe starts again on Sunday, March 31, 2024.
As has been done since 2007, the US and Canada will end DST a week after Europe, on November 5, 2023.
Is the EU Getting Rid of Daylight Saving Time?
In 2019, the European Parliament voted to remove Daylight Saving Time in the European Union. More than 60% of the countries in the world use year-round standard time. The vote was passed and progressed to the European Council, but this is where it faltered.
The European Council has still not started negotiations as other issues, such as Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conflict in Ukraine, complicated matters further. Thus, it seems unlikely that any changes to DST in the EU will take place anytime soon.
Time Change in Europe
Time changes in Europe are synchronized. According to the current EU rules, DST starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October.
Participating countries are:
- The European Union (EU), including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Bulgaria.
- Most other European countries, including the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland.
Upcoming DST changes worldwide
European countries that do not have DST include Russia, Iceland, and Belarus.
DST End: European Local Times
| Time Zone during DST | Local Time of DST End | Time Zone after DST (standard time) |
|---|---|---|
British Summer Time (BST) used in the UK during summer. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST ends at 02:00 (2 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Irish Standard Time (IST) used in Ireland during summer. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST ends at 02:00 (2 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Western European Summer Time (WEST) observed in Portugal, the Faroe Islands, and the Canary Islands. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST ends at 02:00 (2 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Central European Summer Time (CEST), used in countries including France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, Hungary, and Spain. UTC offset: +2 hours | DST ends at 03:00 (3 am) local time. | UTC offset: +1 hour |
Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), observed in countries including Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Romania, and most areas in Ukraine. UTC offset: +3 hours | DST ends at 04:00 (4 am) local time. | UTC offset: +2 hours |
Most of the western parts of Russia and some parts of Ukraine are in the Moscow time zone, Moscow Standard Time (MSK). UTC offset: UTC +3 hours |