We are introducing daylight saving time tonight.
The Bulgarian Institute of Metrology recalls that at 3:00 a.m. on March 28th to 29th, the clocks will be moved forward one hour.
Summer time is introduced in implementation of Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union of January 19, 2001.
The transition from winter to summer time is made with the aim of better use of daylight and traditionally leads to moving the clocks forward one hour in the spring. The idea is associated with Benjamin Franklin, who proposed a similar concept in the 18th century, albeit as a joke.
In reality, daylight saving time began to be implemented on a large scale during World War I - in Germany in 1916, in order to save coal. Today, however, street lighting works with photocells and does not depend on the clock, but on light, which is why the effect on energy costs is controversial and debates are underway in many countries whether to eliminate it.
The European Union has been vigorously discussing a permanent end to seasonal time changes, but there is no unified solution yet.
In 2018, MEPs proposed that the time change be abolished from 2021, but the necessary majority was not achieved - 15 countries and about 300 million EU residents would have the same opinion.
A survey by the Ministry of Energy shows that 96% of people in Bulgaria support the abolition of the time change, with 51% preferring permanent summer time and 38% - winter time, bTV reports.
According to business, the decision must have financial motives, and experts define the measure as outdated.
The change also affects the human body - many people experience temporary fatigue or sleep disturbances in the days after the hands are moved.