In a move which could have an effect on you if you’re a fan of a Mediterranean cruise or two, Spanish MPs have announced that they are considering changing time zones in the country by an hour to improve its productivity.
A recent Spanish parliamentary commission document proclaimed that: “Spain, for more than 71 years has not been in the correct time zone”, referring to the moving of the country’s time zone onto central European time by Spanish dictator General Franco in 1942, in order for it to be in the same time zone as Nazi Germany.
The report believes that Spain, which is currently one hour ahead of GMT during winter and two hours during summer, should be in the same time zone as Portugal and the UK.
Explaining the reasons behind the proposal, the commission said: “We sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends. All this has a negative effect on productivity, absenteeism, stress, accidents and school drop-out rates. Our timetable is determined more by the sun than by the clock. We eat at one o’clock in the afternoon and dine at eight, according to the sun, but the clock says it is three o’clock and 10 o’clock.”
If the change in time zone was implemented, it’s possible it could have an effect on the famous Spanish siesta and it would certainly mean a change to many cruise lines’ Mediterranean schedules with Spanish port arrival times jumping back and of course, cruisers travelling from the UK would not have to worry about changing their watches, either.
Do you think Spain should change its time zone?
By Simon Brotherton
Google
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