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On Sunday, March 30, at 03:00, Latvia will transition to summer time. This means that during the night from Saturday to Sunday, the clock will be moved one hour forward.
The transition back from summer time will occur on October 26 of this year.
As there is still no consensus among European Union member states on new conditions regarding the biannual time change, the current regulation is based on the Cabinet of Ministers' Order No. 1010 of October 26, 2010, "On the Transition to Summer Time." According to this order, in Latvia, the transition to summer time occurs on the last Sunday of March at 03:00, when the clock is moved forward by one hour according to the second time zone. The transition back is on the last Sunday of October at 04:00, when the clock is moved back by one hour.
The European Union's transition to summer time is governed by the European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/84/EC of January 19, 2001, which sets uniform start and end times for summer time across all EU member states.
Based on the opinions expressed by public administration institutions, non-governmental organizations, business representatives, and citizens, as well as considering Latvia's geographical position and the positive benefits of summer time, the Ministry of Economics (EM) supports the idea of making the transition to summer time permanent, eliminating seasonal time changes. According to the Ministry, summer time is more suitable because it provides longer daylight hours during active hours, promoting economic and physical activity among citizens, which positively impacts the economy, particularly in sectors like agriculture, tourism, and construction.
In the summer of 2018, the European Commission (EC) held a public consultation on the transition to summer time, gathering opinions from citizens of member states (individuals, legal entities, and non-governmental organizations). The consultation received 4.6 million responses from 28 member states, with results showing that 84% of respondents supported the abolition of seasonal time changes. To gauge the opinion of Latvian citizens, the Ministry of Economics also invited the public to share their views on summer time by filling out the EC's survey. The survey showed that 85% of Latvian respondents (representing 0.5% of the Latvian population) supported the abolition of seasonal time changes.
Summer time was first introduced in Latvia in 1981. Since 1997, summer time has been in effect from the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October.
Additional information about the transition to summer time is available on the Ministry of Economics website: https://www.em.gov.lv/lv/vasaras-laiks-0.