Balearic denied request to ignore late-October hour change
Thursday, October 27, 2016 @ 11:30 AM
AN ATTEMPT by the Balearic Islands to enjoy more daylight in winter has been dismissed by Spain's central government – turning the clocks back one hour on the last Sunday in October is a legal requirement in the European Union, and the cluster of four Mediterranean islands cannot exempt themselves with a regional Parliament motion.
The Balearic government filed a formal request with Madrid this week to stay on CEST (central European summertime) even after the rest of the continent puts its clocks back and resigns itself to the gloom of dark winter evenings.
According to regional politicians, it is 'logical' for the Balearics to be an hour ahead of the mainland, given that the sun rises first and sets last of everywhere in Spain.
In fact, during forest fires in the eastern half of the mainland, hydroplanes are often drafted in from the Balearics because they are able to fly earlier as daylight comes quicker – those nearer the site of the fire cannot take off until sunrise, by which time Balearic planes and helicopters are already there.
Also, the difference in sunrise and sunset times between the Balearics and the far north-western mainland region of Galicia is around an hour at any time of the year – Galician employees who leave for work at around 07.00 in September or October do so in the dark, whilst those in the Balearics setting off at the same time commute in daylight; and Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera are still enjoying the evening sunshine whilst Galicia has drawn its curtains and switched its lights on.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com