Daylight Saving Time and EU Political Discord: How Minor Issues Reveal Greater Weaknesses

(Patria) - Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 30, when we move the clocks forward by one hour. At 2:00 a.m., we will move the clocks forward one hour to 3:00 a.m., thereby losing an hour of sleep.

It may seem like a trivial matter, but the clock change has numerous consequences – from impacts on our health and well-being to changes in traffic and even business operations.

In 2025, we will move the clocks, as before, twice:

Daylight saving time: Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 2:00 a.m., we will move the clocks forward one hour to 3:00 a.m.

Standard time: Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 3:00 a.m., we will move the clocks back one hour to 2:00 a.m. We will then gain an hour of sleep.

The idea for "daylight" saving time (standard time is natural, aligned with the sun's path) was proposed, albeit more as a joke, by American philosopher, writer, and inventor Benjamin Franklin back in 1784. Some took his quip seriously, and by the early 20th century, there were proposals to some governments to introduce daylight saving time.

The idea was first implemented only by Germany and Austria-Hungary (including the then territory of Croatia) during World War I, from 1916 to 1918. The seasonal change between standard and daylight saving time was also practiced in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and later during the Independent State of Croatia. After that, it was not practiced in these areas until 1983. Since then, we have moved the clocks twice a year – back one hour in autumn and forward one hour in spring. In the European Union, this decision has been in effect since 1996.

In the meantime, the transition to daylight saving time has been heavily contested. The European Union proposed abolishing this practice in 2018, but an agreement among member states has not yet been reached. According to the current decision published in the Official Journal of the EU, daylight saving time will continue until 2026.

And precisely on this 'trivial matter,' we can see how weak the EU is, even on internal issues. Why, then, do we expect it to be unified regarding Milorad Dodik?

The European Union faces deep challenges in trying to make joint decisions in foreign policy, and the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sanctions against Milorad Dodik is just one of many examples of its political impotence.

Internal disagreements among member states, geopolitical pressures, and a lack of common political will to implement joint decisions make it difficult for the European Union to act as a coherent political entity on the global stage.

Without deep reforms in the decision-making process and the creation of a stronger political union, it is difficult to expect that the EU will be able to effectively respond to emerging challenges, especially issues requiring swift and decisive action, such as the case of BiH and sanctions against Milorad Dodik.

(A.Čorbo-Zećo)