BRUSSELS (AP) — The time isn’t yet ripe to tweak Europe’s clocks.
European transport ministers meeting in Austria decided Monday to take a little more to work out how best to end the switch to summer time and back.
The European Commission proposed last month that EU countries decide individually in October 2019 whether to stay on summer time or shift to the winter hour for good.
Austrian Transport Minister Norbert Hofer says member states are worried that if there is no harmonized agreement, Europe could wind up with a patchwork of different time zones. Meanwhile, the aviation industry would like any change to be made in 2021 so airlines can prepare.
The solution, for now: Take a little more time. Hofer says he hopes for consensus by the end of the year.