Overview
- The clocks will be set back one hour from 3:00 to 2:00 on the night of Saturday to Sunday, Oct. 24–25, 2026, creating a repeated 2–3 a.m. hour that officials say is routine but requires local adjustments.
- A DAK‑Gesundheit/Forsa survey finds 71 percent of Germans now call the twice‑yearly shift unnecessary and 29 percent report health or psychological problems after past changes, with women reporting complaints more often than men.
- Sleep and chronobiology experts and a CMAJ review argue permanent standard (winter) time best supports morning light exposure and circadian alignment, while a European Commission study on effects is expected by year‑end.
- Operational preparations are under way: the Physikalisch‑Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) supplies legal time via atomic clocks and DCF77, rail operators have published altered night timetables, and employers face local rules on shift pay for the duplicated hour.
- Political deadlock persists despite a 2019 European Parliament vote to end seasonal changes, with EU member states yet to agree on a common permanent time and a group of over 40 MEPs urging coordinated action.