Clocks move forward one hour in the Netherlands tonight as summer time begins
The clocks will go forward one hour in the early hours of Sunday. This marks the start of summertime. The clocks go forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday and will remain at this time until October 27, when it reverts back to winter time.
This results in longer days and shorter nights. Moving the clocks forward is something that most European countries do. It has been a subject of debate for many years.
A proposal to scrap the changing of the clocks even gained traction in the European Union at one point. This would give European countries the choice whether they want to stay on summer or winter time. However, even though the plan passed through European Parliament in 2021, the European Council has not made a decision on it yet.
The Netherlands stopped using summertime in 1976 after starting to do so in 1916. They resumed summer time and winter time in 1996.
It is also known as daylight savings time. The theory behind it was that people would reduce their energy consumption because the increase in daylight would reduce the need for lighting. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding this theory.
There has also been criticism in the past that daylight savings time results in disturbed sleep patterns and poor concentration.
