Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s clocks go back one hour in the early hours of Sunday 25 October, giving residents an extra hour in bed as winter time returns. The familiar adjustment comes amid renewed debate about whether changing the clocks twice a year still serves any useful purpose.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for the practice to end, citing concerns about health and the limited energy savings. However, European governments have yet to agree on an alternative, meaning seasonal clock changes remain part of life in Spain.
When do the clocks go back in Spain?
At 3.00 am on Sunday 25 October, clocks across mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla will move backwards to 2.00 am. In the Canary Islands, the change takes place at 2.00 am, when clocks return to 1.00 am.
Sunday will therefore last 25 hours rather than the usual 24. Smartphones, computers and most connected devices should adjust automatically, although traditional clocks and some household appliances will need to be changed manually. The timing is confirmed in the official BOE calendar for 2022–2026.
Spain will return to Central European Time, one hour ahead of the United Kingdom and Portugal, while the Canary Islands will remain an hour behind mainland Spain. Mornings will become lighter earlier, but the evenings will grow darker sooner.
Why did Spain start changing its clocks?
The practice dates back to 1918, when Spain introduced daylight saving time towards the end of the First World War. The intention was to make better use of natural daylight and reduce the amount of fuel needed for lighting.
However, the system was not applied consistently. Spain introduced and abandoned summer time on several occasions, including a lengthy period without seasonal adjustments between 1950 and 1973. The international energy crisis of the 1970s revived interest in the practice, with governments across Europe looking for ways to reduce electricity consumption.
European countries gradually coordinated their arrangements, eventually adopting common rules for the beginning and end of summer time. Spain’s current framework was established through Royal Decree 236/2002, which incorporated the European directive governing seasonal clock changes.
Why does Spain share a time zone with Germany?
Spain’s relationship with time has another unusual historical dimension. Geographically, much of mainland Spain lies closer to the longitude of Britain and Portugal than to central Europe, yet the country follows the same official time as Germany, France and Italy.
Until 1940, mainland Spain used Greenwich Mean Time. During Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, the clocks were advanced by an hour, bringing Spain into line with Central European Time. The change took place during the Second World War and has often been associated with Franco’s political relationship with Nazi Germany, although the wider historical circumstances were more complicated.
Spain never permanently returned to its previous time zone. As a result, the sun rises and sets later by the clock than in countries such as Germany and Italy, despite all three sharing the same official time.
Is this really Spain’s last clock change?
The possibility of this being the final adjustment has attracted considerable attention because the Spanish government’s published five-year timetable ends in October 2026. The document, issued in March 2022, lists Sunday 25 October as its final date.
That does not mean the clocks will stop changing after this weekend. The timetable covers a specific administrative period, while the underlying Spanish and European legislation remains in force. The European Commission has already published the dates for the next five years, covering 2027 to 2031, including the next scheduled change on Sunday 28 March 2027. The dates are confirmed in the EU’s official 2027–2031 timetable.
The published dates reflect the rules currently in force, rather than a guarantee that the system cannot change. Ending seasonal clock changes would require a political agreement and changes to the existing European framework.
Why does Pedro Sánchez want to abolish the clock changes?
The Spanish government has repeatedly questioned whether seasonal adjustments remain justified. In October 2025, Sánchez renewed his call for the European Union to abandon the practice, arguing that the supposed energy savings are increasingly difficult to justify and that the disruption can affect people’s health.
The issue has been under discussion in Brussels for years. In 2018, the European Commission organised a public consultation that attracted approximately 4.6 million responses, with 84% of participants supporting an end to seasonal clock changes. However, the consultation was voluntary and was not a representative survey of Europe’s population.
The European Parliament voted in 2019 in favour of abolishing the twice-yearly adjustments, initially envisaging that the changes would end in 2021. The proposal subsequently stalled because EU governments could not agree on how to implement it or which permanent time arrangements should be adopted. The legislative position and outstanding disagreements are explained by the Council of the European Union.
Would Spain be better off keeping summer or winter time?
One of the biggest obstacles to abolishing the changes is deciding which time should become permanent. Longer summer evenings are popular with many residents and businesses, particularly in a country where outdoor dining, tourism and evening socialising are important parts of everyday life.
However, sleep specialists generally favour permanent standard time, commonly referred to as winter time. Morning daylight plays an important role in regulating the body’s internal clock, and maintaining summer time throughout the year would mean later winter sunrises, especially in western Spain.
Spain’s geographical position adds another complication. Portugal follows the same time as the UK, while France shares mainland Spain’s time zone. Any decision to adopt permanent summer or winter time, or to move Spain into a different time zone altogether, would need to consider the effects on cross-border travel, businesses and workers, particularly if neighbouring countries made different choices.
Does changing the clocks affect your health?
Research into seasonal time changes has raised concerns about their effects on sleep, concentration and biological rhythms. The spring adjustment, when people lose an hour, is generally regarded as more disruptive than the autumn change, although both can temporarily affect established routines.
Children, older people and those working irregular shifts may find the transition particularly noticeable. Sleep experts recommend maintaining consistent bedtimes, getting exposure to natural daylight and allowing the body time to adjust.
For most people, the effects are relatively short-lived. Nevertheless, the growing understanding of circadian rhythms has strengthened arguments for abandoning the twice-yearly disruption altogether.
What happens after this weekend?
Spain will remain on winter time until the next scheduled adjustment on Sunday 28 March 2027, when clocks are due to move forward again. The European timetable currently extends to 2031, although future legislation could change those arrangements.
Nearly a decade after the European Commission began consulting the public about abolition, the political debate remains unresolved. Questions about energy consumption, public health, working hours and Spain’s unusual geographical relationship with its official time zone are likely to keep the issue alive.
For now, residents can enjoy an extra hour on Sunday morning. Whether Spain eventually settles on permanent summer time, winter time or a different time-zone arrangement remains a decision for another day.