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Central European Time

Central European Time (CET) is a standard time observed in Central as well as parts of Western and Southeast Europe, which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as . It covers most of continental Europe and it has been adopted by several African countries where it is known under various other names.

CET is also known as Middle European Time (MET, German: ) and by colloquial names that reference major European cities such as Amsterdam Time, Berlin Time, Brussels Time, Budapest Time, Madrid Time, Paris Time, Stockholm Time, Rome Time, Prague time, Warsaw Time or Romance Standard Time (RST).

The 15th meridian east is the central axis per in the world system of time zones.

Currently, all member countries of the European Union observe summer time (daylight saving time), from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Countries within the CET area switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST, ) for the summer. The next change to CET will occur on 25 October 2026 (switching from 03:00 CEST to 02:00 CET).

In Africa, is called West Africa Time (WAT), where it is used by several countries, year round. Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia also refer to it as Central European Time.

Usage

Usage in Europe

Current usage

As of 2017, Central European Time is currently used in Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar (British territory), Hungary, Italy, Kosovo (partially recognised as an independent country), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (except the Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.

History

  • 1884
  • The Kingdom of Serbia starts using CET.
  • 1 October 1891
  • Austro-Hungarian Empire adopts CET. At first railways and post offices, cities such as Prague and Budapest, but not Vienna. (present-day Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and some other regions)
  • 1 April 1893
  • The German Empire unified its time zones to use CET (MEZ).
  • Malta uses CET.
  • Vienna (then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire) starts using CET.
  • 1 November 1893
  • Italy starts using CET.
  • 1894
  • Switzerland switches from to CET
  • Liechtenstein introduces CET.
  • Denmark adopts CET.
  • 1895
  • Norway adopts CET.
  • 1900
  • Sweden adopts CET.
  • 1904
  • Luxembourg introduces CET, but leaves 1918.
  • 1914
  • Albania adopts CET.
  • 1914–1918
  • During World War I CET was implemented in all German-occupied territories.
  • 1920
  • Lithuania adopts CET (but subsequently rescinded in 1940) and 1998−1999 again.
  • 1922
  • Poland adopts CET.
  • 1940
  • Under German occupation:
  • The Netherlands was switched from to CET.
  • Belgium was switched from .
  • Luxembourg was switched from .
  • France, which had adopted Paris time on 14 March 1891 and Greenwich Mean Time on 9 March 1911, was switched to CET.
  • Spain switched to CET.

After World War II Monaco, Andorra and Gibraltar implemented CET.

Portugal used CET in the years 1966–1976 and 1992–1996.

United Kingdom

The time around the world is based on Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) which is roughly synonymous with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). From late March to late October, clocks in the United Kingdom are put forward by one hour for British Summer Time (BST). Since 1997, most of the European Union aligned with the British standards for BST.

In 1968 there was a three-year experiment called British Standard Time, when the UK and Ireland experimentally employed British Summer Time (GMT+1) all year round; clocks were put forward in March 1968 and not put back until October 1971.

Central European Time is sometimes referred to as continental time in the UK.

Other countries

Several African countries use all year long, where it is known as West Africa Time (WAT), although Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia use the term Central European Time despite being in North Africa.

Between 2005 and 2008, Tunisia observed daylight saving time. Libya also used CET during the years 1951–1959, 1982–1989, 1996–1997 and 2012–2013.

For other countries see and West Africa Time.

Discrepancies between official CET and geographical CET

The criteria for drawing time zones is based on many factors including: legal, political, economic, and physical or geographic. Consequently, time zones rarely adhere to meridian lines. The CET time zone, were it drawn by purely geographical terms, would consist of exactly the area between meridians 7°30′ E and 22°30′ E. As a result, there are European locales that despite lying in an area with a "physical" or "nominal" time, actually use another time zone ( in particular – there are no "physical" areas that employ ). Conversely, there are European areas that have gone for , even though their "physical" time zone is UTC (typically), (westernmost Spain), or (e.g. the very easternmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Poland and Serbia). On the other hand, people in Spain still usually have work and meal hours one hour later than France and Germany despite sharing the same time zone. Historically Gibraltar maintained all year until the opening of the land border with Spain in 1982, when it followed its neighbour and introduced CEST. The following is a list of such "incongruences":

Areas within longitudes using other time zones

These areas are between 7°30′ E and 22°30′ E ("physical" UTC+1)

Areas using

Areas outside longitudes using time

These areas are either west of 7°30′ E or east of 22°30′ E (outside nominal )

Areas between 22°30′ W and 7°30′ W (nominal )

  • The westernmost part of mainland Spain (Galicia, e.g. the city of A Coruña); Cape Finisterre and nearby points in Galicia, at 9°18′ W, are the westernmost places of CET in Spain.
  • The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen lies entirely within this area and extends nearly as far west as Cape Finisterre, with its western tip at 9°5′ W and its eastern tip at 7°56′ W.
  • Western Morocco including the city of Casablanca, at 7°35′ W. CET usage in Morocco extends as west as 13°10′ W.
  • The entirety of Western Sahara with its western tip at 17°6′ W and its eastern tip at 8°40′ W.

Areas between 7°30′ W and 7°30′ E (nominal )

Areas between 22°30′ E and 37°30′ E (nominal )

See also

References

External links