ZAGREB, September 13, 2018 – Nearly 90 percent of Croatian companies want an end to the practice of changing the clocks in spring and autumn, with 60 percent in favour of staying on summertime all year round, a survey conducted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) shows.
Asked about their experience with clock-changing, of 567 companies polled, as many as 84 percent said their experience was negative or very negative.
Nearly 90 percent of respondents proposed ending the seasonal clock changes, citing people’s health, energy saving and the functioning of the international market. About 60 percent were in favour of summertime throughout the year, while 32 percent preferred wintertime.
The European Commission has announced a proposal to abolish the biannual changing of the clocks as of next year, saying that member states would be given the freedom to decide whether to adopt permanent summertime or wintertime.
The HGK said that the results of its survey largely corresponded with those of the European Commission. The EC survey covered 4.6 million EU residents and found that as many as 84 percent wanted the practice of clock-changing abolished because of negative effects on human health, an increase in traffic accidents and insufficient energy saving.
