Finland is finished with daylight savings time! Transport and Communications Minister Anne Berner announced plans to propose that the biannual practice – setting the clocks an hour forward for the summer and an hour back for the winter – be abolished across the European Union.
“The government has decided to propose that the summer-time arrangement be abolished,” she posted on Twitter. “Member states should mull over together which time – summer or winter time – should be adopted on a permanent basis.”
As reported by The Helsinki Times, the Finnish government has previously reminded that, despite growing popular support for calls to abolish the practice, it cannot end the seasonal switch between daylight savings and standard time as the switch is regulated by the European Union. Berner promised at the time that she would canvass support for the abolition at the EU level.
Opposition to the practice stems mainly from the fact that studies have linked it to a variety of mental and physical health issues, such as fatigue, depression and heart attacks.
