Time for unification: A single clock for Central and Eastern Europe

RESUMO

The EU's effort to abolish biannual clock changes has stalled. We argue this deadlock presents a historic opportunity for continental unification. Astronomical analysis demonstrates that strict alignment between clock and solar time is unnecessary; at high latitudes, extreme seasonal variations render the morning-versus-evening daylight debate physically irrelevant. Real-world examples demonstrate that societies adapt seamlessly to permanent solar offsets. We propose establishing a unified Central and Eastern European Time (CEET) at UTC+2. This converges naturally if Central Europe adopts permanent summer time while the Finnish-Baltic bloc retains permanent standard time, synchronizing the vast majority of member states under a single clock and eliminating cross-border economic friction.