Eternal Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Belarus
Published 19-Sep-2011
Just a matter of time: Most observers expected Belarus to abolish DST after Russia and Ukraine had done so.
Just a matter of time: Most observers expected Belarus to abolish DST after Russia and Ukraine had done so.
©iStockphoto.com/berean
Belarus will not switch back to standard time this year. According to decree 1229, which was signed by the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2011, the Eastern European country will remain on daylight saving time (DST) from this year onwards.
Domino effect
To many observers the new legislation does not come as a surprise. Soon after Russia had canceled seasonal time change in February 2011 a special committee was formed in Belarus to discuss the implications of Moscow's move for the region and to explore the possibility to follow suit. In April 2011, neighboring Ukraine also decided to observe DST year-round.
The committee was quick to recommend a similar move, pointing out that under the old legislation, the time difference between Minsk and Moscow would increase from 1 to 2 hours during the winter months. According to a statement issued by the committee the recommendation was not directly motivated by Russia's decision. However, the committee acknowledged the importance of "taking into account the significant economic and cultural ties between our countries."
Time in Belarus
The local time in Belarus will now be 3 hours ahead of UTC/GMT all year. The country entered DST for the last time on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Under the old rules, clocks would have been turned back again one hour on Sunday, October 30, 2011.
timeanddate.com will provide updates on these and other time zone news as events unfold.