You're reading: Economy Ministry proposes abandoning daylight saving time

The Ukrainian Economic Development and Trade Ministry has proposed abandoning the idea of switching to summer and winter daylight saving time. 

A respective draft law was posted on the Web site of the ministry on Wednesday, Jan.16.

“There’s the following order for time calculation in Ukraine: the second time zone (Kyiv time) with the annual advancement of the clocks on the last Sunday in March at 0300 by one hour, and putting them back by one hour on the last Sunday in October at 0400. The draft law introduces a second time zone (Kyiv time) on Ukrainian territory without further annual switching to daylight saving time,” reads the bill.

“The introduction of this order for time calculation is aimed at improving the health of citizens, increasing of the public’s ability to work and reducing the number of accidents,” reads the document.

The document proposes that the order come into force on March 1, 2013.

If the bill is adopted, the current winter daylight saving time will become constant, that is after Europe switches to summer daylight saving time, Ukraine will move to CET.

The ministry noted that the Cabinet of Ministers approved this bill a year ago and tabled it in parliament. However, after parliamentary elections and the resignation and appointment of the new composition of government, there arose the need for additional approval of this draft law.