Latvia backs Finland´s proposal to ban clock re-settings

Latvia backs the Finnish proposal to end the current practice of resetting clocks twice a year to save daylight during summer months in Europe, according to a national position adopted by the government on Tuesday.

Representatives of the Latvian economics ministry said that Latvia supported a coordinated abolition of daylight saving time in the European Union (EU) and instead make summer time the permanent time in all member states of the bloc.

"This would be the optimal decision, considering Latvia's geographic location and the positive effect of summer time on economic activity and human health," the economics ministry said in a statement, citing opinions provided by nongovernmental organizations, state institutions, and entrepreneurs.

However, the country would be against leaving the decision on daylight saving time to national EU governments as this would create the risk of each member state setting its own dates for switching to daylight saving time and back, which in turn would have adverse effects on logistics, communications, transport and other areas.

Furthermore, such an arrangement could leave Latvia and other Baltic countries -- which are in different time zones -- with a wider time difference with their closest EU neighbors and key partner states.

Latvia also believes that before taking the final decision, the European Commission should carry out an impact assessment to estimate the costs and other possible implications of the proposed abolition of daylight saving time.

The European Commission has launched a public poll, which ends on Aug. 16, to find out whether the bloc's citizens and member states want daylight saving time to be abolished. The idea was proposed by Finland where a public initiative gathered over 70,000 signatures in support of scrapping the biannual time switch.