Clock change scrapped: the paths countries chose
Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and Russia show that ending the switch also means deciding on a permanent clock time. Switzerland turns its clocks back on 25 October.
On Sunday, 25 October 2026, clocks in Switzerland will be turned back from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. That is confirmed by the federal government's current notice on the end of summer time. Looking beyond national borders, however, the rules differ widely: Brazil has ended the seasonal change, Turkey keeps its former summer time all year round, and Mexico makes exceptions at its northern border.
These examples show why a call to abolish the change alone does not yet produce a new time order. Two decisions are needed: should the switch be dropped? And which clock time applies all year round afterwards? For travellers, the specific place therefore matters more than a list of supposedly uniform national rules.
Brazil: no seasonal change since 2019
Brazil suspended summer time by decree on 25 April 2019. Before that, it had applied only in part of the country anyway. The Ministry of Energy justified the decision at the time with changes in electricity consumption and with the declining importance of the time shift for relieving the power system.
No globally valid energy balance can be derived from this. How strongly a time rule affects consumption also depends on when people use lights, air conditioning or other appliances. The Brazilian justification describes a national decision under the conditions of that time. It does not prove that the same rule would have the same effect in another country.
Mexico: the border determines the exception
Mexico ended the seasonal change in 2022 for most of its territory. The law on time zones there generally provides for a standard time that applies all year round. A seasonal time remains in place for legally designated areas on the northern border.
The widespread claim that Mexico has abolished the clock change entirely is therefore too broad. A trip to a border town can be subject to different rules than a stay in Mexico City. The law explicitly distinguishes between standard time and the seasonal border arrangement. Even within a single country, the question of the right clock time cannot always be answered with one yes or no.
Anyone arranging appointments across several regions should therefore check the local time and the date together. A time difference that is correct in January need not be the same in July. That applies in particular when only one of the two regions changes its clocks.
Turkey and Russia: two different paths
Turkey ended the change in 2016 and has stayed permanently on UTC+3. The time previously used in summer thus became the year-round rule. When Switzerland turns its clocks back in October, the time gap to Turkey therefore grows: one hour becomes two.
Russia illustrates a different development. There, the annual change ended as early as 2011, initially with a permanent summer time. A further reform in 2014 turned the clocks back again in large parts of the country. The seasonal change was not reintroduced as a result. Abolition and a later correction of a permanent time can therefore coexist.
This distinction is central to the European debate. Fewer clock changes do not automatically mean that all parties prefer the same permanent time. What remains decisive is how the chosen clock time fits with daylight and with connections to neighbouring regions.
Europe: a proposal is not yet an abolition
The European Commission proposed in 2018 to end the twice-yearly changes. The European Parliament supported an abolition in 2019. A binding new arrangement, however, also requires agreement with the Council. Its official overview states that there is no final decision and no binding timetable.
The political initiative of that time thus did not abolish the change. For Switzerland, the date concretely announced applies this autumn. Its normal time corresponds to UTC+1, summer time to UTC+2. "Winter time" is the common but technically imprecise name for it.
The practical lesson from the country examples is limited: a permanent time can simplify local daily life, but it does not remove international time differences. Anyone travelling or working across borders needs current local times. And anyone who wants to abolish the change must also answer which time should apply afterwards.
Sources
- Federal government: end of summer time on 25 October 2026
- Council of the EU: state of deliberations on the clock change
- Brazilian Ministry of Energy: suspension of summer time 2019
- Mexican Official Gazette: law on time zones
- Timeanddate: Turkey's switch to year-round UTC+3
- Timeanddate: Russia's 2014 time reform
