Spain to End Biannual Clock Changes by October 2026, Officially Setting the Final Date
Spain formalizes the final date for daylight saving time changes as October 25, 2026, with health concerns and minimal energy savings driving plans to end the practice.
- • The last daylight saving time clock change in Spain is scheduled for October 25, 2026.
- • Clocks will be set back one hour on October 26, 2025, continuing the biannual practice until 2026.
- • The practice has been in place since 1981 across the EU, aiming to save energy by extending daylight.
- • Health organizations highlight negative impacts of clock changes on well-being.
- • Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez proposes to the EU to end clock changes by 2026 due to minimal energy savings and health concerns.
Key details
Spain will proceed with its long-standing twice-yearly clock changes until October 25, 2026, when the last daylight saving time adjustment is scheduled to take place, according to the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). On October 26, 2025, Spanish clocks will be set back one hour at 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., one of the final instances of this practice in the country. This clock-changing tradition has been implemented in Spain and across the European Union since 1981, originally intended to maximize daylight and conserve energy.
However, the rationale behind the clock changes has come under scrutiny, notably due to health concerns. The Spanish Sleep Society and other organizations have cited negative effects such as irritability, reduced concentration, and increased risks for conditions including obesity, diabetes, and mental health disorders. These health impacts have fueled calls for the abolition of the practice, alongside observations that energy savings are minimal.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has formally proposed to the EU that the biannual clock change should end by 2026. This proposal is set to be presented at the upcoming EU Council of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy. Despite these intentions, no final EU-wide agreement has been reached, delaying the cessation initially suggested in 2018 and postponed through 2019 and 2021 due to differing member state views.
Pending this decision, the official line is that the last scheduled clock change in Spain will be in October 2026, marking the conclusion of over four decades of daylight saving time adjustments. Until then, Spanish residents will continue to experience the semiannual time shifts, with the upcoming one in late October providing an extra hour of sleep.
This official update clarifies Spain's timeline amidst broader EU debates, placing Spain on course to discontinue clock changes by 2026 but underlining that the current practice remains in effect until then.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.