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European time zones and the EU clock change

Europe fits into three main zones across a continent narrow enough for two. The reasons are political rather than astronomical, which is why Spain runs an hour ahead of the sun and why a call between London and Warsaw crosses two boundaries in under 1,500 kilometres.

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Three zones, one changeover date

Western European Time (UTC+0) covers Portugal, Ireland and the United Kingdom, though the UK calls its winter offset GMT. Central European Time (UTC+1) is the largest, running from Spain through France, Germany and Italy to Poland. Eastern European Time (UTC+2) covers Finland, the Baltic states, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.

Unlike the United States, the EU changes clocks on a single coordinated date: the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, at 01:00 UTC everywhere so the whole bloc shifts at the same instant. The UK follows the same dates, which is why the London–Paris gap never changes.

Spain is the standing curiosity. Geographically it sits under the same meridian as the UK, yet it uses CET — a decision taken in 1940 to align with Berlin and never reversed. The practical effect is that Madrid's solar noon falls after 1pm on the clock, which is a large part of why Spanish working and eating hours look late to other Europeans.

Two further outliers matter for scheduling. Russia abolished seasonal changes in 2014 and keeps Moscow on UTC+3 permanently, and Türkiye did the same in 2016 at UTC+3. Both therefore drift relative to the EU twice a year.

Key facts

Three main zones

WET (UTC+0), CET (UTC+1) and EET (UTC+2).

One coordinated changeover

Last Sundays in March and October, at 01:00 UTC across the bloc.

The UK matches EU dates

So the London–Paris gap is a constant one hour.

Spain is on Berlin time

A 1940 decision that puts solar noon after 1pm in Madrid.

Russia and Türkiye are fixed

No seasonal change since 2014 and 2016 respectively.

US dates differ

Which is why transatlantic gaps wobble for a few weeks each spring and autumn.

How to get it right

1

Identify the country's zone

WET, CET or EET — most of the EU is CET.

2

Remember the EU changes together

Intra-European gaps stay constant through the transition.

3

Watch the fixed-clock countries

Russia and Türkiye drift relative to everyone else.

4

Check the transatlantic weeks

Late March and late October are when US–EU slots move.

Questions people ask

The last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, at 01:00 UTC. Every EU country and the UK shift at the same instant.

Keep reading

Daylight saving explained

Which countries change their clocks, when they do it, and why the same two cities can be five hours apart one week and six the next.

UTC, GMT and Zulu time

What UTC actually is, how it differs from GMT, why aviation says Zulu, and when the distinction matters.

Scheduling across time zones

A practical method for booking meetings across zones: finding the overlap, rotating the pain, and stopping recurring calls from drifting.

Convert between European zones

GMT, CET and EET pairs, each with both seasonal answers.

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