Lithuania to initiate discussion on EU level on abolishing summer time observance

VILNIUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to officially apply to European Commission (EC) to initiate discussion on abandoning the seasonal time change, which is currently obligatory to all the EU member states.

"We decided to address the EC in order to start debates on expediency of this directive. It is necessary to sort out all the questions related to summer time arrangements, together with the Commission," Deividas Matulionis, adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, was quoted as saying by local media.

Other EU countries, such as Poland and Finland have raised similar questions recently, he added.

According to the current corresponding EU directive, twice a year the clocks in all EU member states are switched from winter to summer time (on the last Sunday in March) and back from summer to winter time (on the last Sunday in October). The directive has been in force since 2001.

In words of Matulionis, there is a need to make sure whether the directive is supported sufficiently by the EU member states.

"If consensus is found during the discussion, it is possible that the directive could be cancelled. Of course, there is no guarantee that it will be abandoned next year or in the nearest future," he added.

Supporters of bi-annual time switch argue that it helps to save energy. The EU also claims that maintaining of harmonized timetable helps to ensure proper functioning of the internal market.

Meanwhile, critics say that time changes can lead to health imbalances, such as mood swings, trouble with sleeping, and an increased risk of heart attacks and road accidents. Enditem