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DST Starts in Europe Sunday, March 25, 2018

Most of Europe set the clocks forward 1 hour on Sunday, March 25, 2018, when Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts.

A map of time zones and DST in Europe.

DST is also known as Summer Time.

©timeanddate.com

Most countries in Europe spring forward 1 hour at 01:00 UTC. Local time for the change is different in each time zone; see the table below for more details.

More Light in the Evening

In local time, sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Sunday, March 25, 2018 than the day before, resulting in more daylight in the evening.

Changes at the Same Time

European countries synchronize their DST, which starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. Participating countries are:

The EU to Re-Evaluate DST

In February, the European Parliament voted to re-evaluate DST in Europe urging the EU Commission to consider putting an end to adjusting the clocks back and forward 1 hour.

The Parliament put pressure on the Union's regulatory body, the European Commission, to consider removing DST. In the past, the Commission has been reluctant to touch the DST regulation in the European Union.

European Countries Without DST

Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, and Turkey don't use DST but remain on standard time all year.

In 2016, Turkey decided to end DST permanently. The Turkish occupied territory of Northern Cyprus still follows the rest of Cyprus and will set the clocks forward 1 hour on March 25.

Local Times in Europe for DST Start

Time Zone During DSTDST StartsStandard Time Zone (no DST)

British Summer Time (BST), used in the UK during summer.

UTC offset: +1 hour

DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time.
Clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 02:00 (2 am).

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

UTC offset: None

Irish Standard Time (IST), used in Ireland during the summer.

UTC offset: +1 hour

DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time.
Clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 02:00 (2 am).

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

UTC offset: None

Western European Summer Time (WEST), used in the Canary Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Portugal.

UTC offset: +1 hour

DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. Clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 02:00 (2 am).

Western European Time (WET)

UTC offset: None

Central European Summer Time (CEST), used in countries including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland.

UTC offset: +2 hours

DST starts at 02:00 (2 am) local time, when clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 03:00 (3 am).

Central European Time (CET)

UTC offset: +1 hour

Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), used in countries including Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania.

UTC offset: +3 hours

DST starts at 03:00 (3 am) local time, when clocks are set ahead 1 hour to 04:00 (4 am).

Eastern European Time (EET)

UTC offset: +2 hours