Lithuania will switch to daylight saving time this weekend, moving clocks forward by one hour overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
Under current rules, daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday of March at 03:00, when clocks are set one hour ahead. Standard time returns on the last Sunday of October at 04:00, when clocks are turned back.
The summer time schedule will remain in effect for seven months, until late October.
The European Union has debated ending the biannual clock change. In 2018, the European Commission proposed abolishing seasonal time changes and introducing a single time regime across member states.
Lithuania supports the idea of ending the practice and remaining on daylight saving time year-round, Transport Minister Juras Taminskas said. However, he noted that progress at the EU level has stalled due to differing views among member states.
A 2018 public consultation by the European Commission found that 84% of 6.4 million respondents favoured scrapping the clock changes.
The European Parliament approved the reform in 2019, but the initiative has since stalled as several countries raised concerns.
Northern EU countries have repeatedly questioned the practice, citing research suggesting that seasonal clock changes may have negative physical or psychological effects on about 20% of the population.
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