Μake us preferred on Google Greece will return to standard time in the early hours of Sunday, October 25, when clocks are set back one hour, from 4:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
In an announcement, the Ministry of Transport reminded the public that daylight saving time ends that day under Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of January 19, 2001, which governs summer-time arrangements across the European Union.
The main argument for changing the clocks is energy savings. Over the seven months of daylight saving time, making better use of natural light saves an estimated 210 hours of electricity. During the 1970s, amid the oil crisis, most European countries sought to make the most of daylight hours. Since 1996, a single pan-European system has been in place: clocks move forward one hour in spring to gain an extra hour of evening light, then fall back one hour in autumn.
Daylight saving time in Greece
Greece first experimented with the time change in 1932, setting clocks forward one hour from July 6 to September 1 of that year. The practice, originally adopted to conserve energy and also followed in countries such as the United States and, since 1976, France, has drawn strong criticism for years.
Opponents point to scientific studies linking the time change to cardiovascular and immune-system problems caused by disruptions to the body’s biological clock. They also argue that it no longer produces any meaningful energy savings.
An earlier switch this year
Standard time always begins on the last Sunday of October. In 2026, October ends on a Saturday, so the month’s final Sunday falls on October 25, the earliest possible date for the change.
