(MENAFN) Europeans will set their clocks back by one hour early Sunday, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time and reigniting discussions about ending the biannual time shift.

At 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, clocks across the continent will revert to 2 a.m., signaling the start of standard winter time. The practice, first introduced during the First World War to conserve energy, has remained part of European life for decades.

Some leaders are advocating for an end to the seasonal adjustment. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently stated that his government would push to scrap the clock changes, arguing that the system “barely helps save energy and has a negative impact on people’s health and lives,” according to reports.

Belgian MEP Saskia Bricmont shared similar concerns, pointing out that research shows minimal energy savings and links the twice-yearly change to disrupted sleep, depression, and even higher stroke risks. “As each clock change reignites the debate, we could put an end to this issue if member states finally decided to follow the opinion of the 84% of Europeans who no longer want to change the time,” she said.

In 2018, a public consultation across the EU revealed that 84% of respondents favored ending Daylight Saving Time. Although the European Parliament approved a proposal to abolish the practice in 2019, progress has stalled in the EU Council, where member states have yet to reach consensus.

European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas told lawmakers that modern technology has rendered the seasonal change largely ineffective for energy savings and that it has become “a source of unnecessary complication.”

The European Commission stated that it is continuing efforts to find a “coordinated solution” among member states and plans to launch a new study to guide future decisions on the matter.

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