DST Start in Europe 2021
By Anne Buckle. Published 22-Feb-2021
Most European countries set the clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 28, 2021, when Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts.
Clocks go forward one hour in Europe on March 28, 2021.
©timeanddate.com
Most countries in Europe will spring forward one hour at 01:00 UTC on March 28, 2021. The local time for the change is different in each time zone. See the table below for more details.
The clocks will be set back one hour to standard time on Sunday, October 31, 2021.
The US and Canada started DST two weeks earlier than Europe, on March 14, 2021.
DST Removal Not Likely in 2021
Daylight Saving Time (DST) the local sunrise and sunset forward one hour resulting in more daylight in the evenings. Still, frustrations with the bi-annual clock change have led the European Parliament to draft a law to permanently remove DST in the European Union.
The draft law, issued in 2018, proposes that 2021 would be the last time EU Member States and affiliated countries follow the seasonal clock change. For this reason, all subsequent clock changes in European nations are marked as preliminary on timeanddate.com.
However, negotiations have not yet started in the European Council, making it very unlikely for the new rules—even if agreed rapidly—to apply in 2021. Europe, like the rest of the World, is in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
Daylight Saving in Europe
European countries synchronize their DST, which starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October. Participating countries are:
- The European Union (EU), including Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain.
- Most other European countries, including the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland.
Upcoming DST changes worldwide
European countries that do not have DST include Russia, Iceland, and Belarus.
Local Times in Europe for DST Start
| Time Zone During DST | DST Starts | Standard Time Zone (no DST) |
|---|---|---|
British Summer Time (BST), used in the UK during summer. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Irish Standard Time (IST), used in Ireland during the summer. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Western European Summer Time (WEST), used in the Canary Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Portugal. UTC offset: +1 hour | DST starts at 01:00 (1 am) local time. | UTC offset: None |
Central European Summer Time (CEST), used in countries including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland. UTC offset: +2 hours | DST starts at 02:00 (2 am) local time. | UTC offset: +1 hour |
Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), used in countries including Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. UTC offset: +3 hours | DST starts at 03:00 (3 am) local time. | UTC offset: +2 hours |