Lithuania switches to daylight saving time

Lithuania transitioned to daylight saving time early Sunday, moving clocks forward by one hour at 3:00 AM local time, state news agency BNS reports.

The change, a long-standing seasonal practice, will remain in effect for seven months until late October. Clocks are adjusted forward on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday of October.

In 2018, the European Commission proposed abolishing seasonal time changes, but discussions stalled in Brussels. Spain revived the initiative last autumn, prompting the Commission to launch an impact assessment study. Results are expected this summer.

Lithuania’s Transport Minister Juras Taminskas stated the country supports ending the practice, though EU-wide consensus remains unlikely in the near term. A 2018 public consultation saw 84% of 6.4 million respondents favour scrapping daylight saving time, and the European Parliament backed reform in 2019. However, opposition from some member states has delayed progress.

Northern EU countries have repeatedly raised concerns, citing studies that suggest time changes negatively affect around 20% of Europeans, both physically and psychologically.