Overview
- France will set clocks back one hour in the night from Saturday to Sunday, Oct. 24–25, 2026, when 03:00 becomes 02:00 so people gain one hour of sleep.
- The timing is determined by an EU rule that fixes the switch on the last Sunday of October, which this year falls on October 25 because October 31 is a Saturday.
- France and other EU states keep the twice‑yearly changes because member countries have not agreed on a single permanent time despite a 2018 EU proposal and a 2021 European Parliament vote to end the practice.
- France's environment agency ADEME has found the measure saves energy but only modestly, estimating about 351 GWh in 2018, while medical commentators say winter time helps synchronize morning light with our internal clocks and may protect vulnerable people.
- The change does not apply to most French overseas territories except Saint‑Pierre‑et‑Miquelon, and the next scheduled shift back to summer time is set for Sunday, March 28, 2027.