8. Time zones and clock changes

Three time zones in the EU

• UTC+0 (Western European Time): Ireland and Portugal (the Azores UTC−1). Outside the EU also the United Kingdom and Iceland.
• UTC+1 (Central European Time): most EU countries, from Spain and France to Poland, Croatia and Sweden – plus Norway, Switzerland and the Western Balkans.
• UTC+2 (Eastern European Time): Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania – outside the EU also Moldova and Ukraine.

Türkiye uses UTC+3 all year round and Iceland does not change its clocks.

Summer time

All EU countries move their clocks forward one hour on the last Sunday of March and back one hour on the last Sunday of October, at the same moment (01:00 UTC):

• 2026: clocks go back on 25 October
• 2027: forward on 28 March, back on 31 October

The European Commission proposed in 2018 to end seasonal clock changes, but EU countries have not agreed on it, so the changes continue.

Tip: train and flight times are always given in local time – check your connection when you cross into another time zone or travel on the night the clocks change.

Sources: Council of the EU – seasonal clock changes Checked: 2 October 2026.