{{Short description|Daylight saving time in the Central European time zone}} {{Infobox time zone | initials = CEST | offset = +02:00 | dst use = only | non dst initials = CET }}
{{Time zones of Europe}} '''Central European Summer Time''' ('''CEST''', UTC+02:00), sometimes referred to as '''Central European Daylight Time''' ('''CEDT'''),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Correcting the Domino Daylight Savings Problem |url=https://www.nashcom.de/nshweb/pages/nshdst.htm |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=www.nashcom.de}}</ref> is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00) during the other part of the year. It corresponds to UTC+02:00, which makes it the same as Eastern European Time, Central Africa Time, South African Standard Time, Egypt Standard Time and Kaliningrad Time in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://24timezones.com/time-zone/cest|title=CEST time now|website=24timezones.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref>
==Names== Other names which have been applied to Central European Summer Time are Middle European Summer Time (MEST),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldtimezone.com/wtz-names/wtz-med.html|title=Time zone names- Middle European Daylight, Middle European Summer, Mitteieuropaische Sommerzeit (german)|website=www.worldtimezone.com|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref> Central European Daylight Saving Time (CEDT),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zeitverschiebung.net/en/abbr/36|title=CEDT - Central European Daylight Time: Current local time|website=Time Difference|language=en|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref> and Bravo Time (after the second letter of the NATO phonetic alphabet).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/b|title=B – Bravo Time Zone (Time Zone Abbreviation)|website=www.timeanddate.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref>
==Period of observation== Since 1996, European Summer Time has been observed between 01:00 UTC (02:00 CET and 03:00 CEST) on the last Sunday of March, and 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October; previously the rules were not uniform across the European Union.<ref name=Myers>{{Cite web |author=Joseph Myers |title=History of legal time in Britain |url=http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jsm28/british-time/ |access-date=2009-10-11 |date=2009-07-17 }}</ref>
There were proposals to abandon summer time in Europe from 2021, possibly by moving winter time up by an hour and keeping that time through the year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boffey |first1=Daniel |title=European parliament votes to scrap daylight saving time from 2021 |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/26/european-parliament-votes-to-scrap-daylight-saving-time-from-2021 |work=The Guardian |date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
==Usage== The following countries and territories regularly use Central European Summer Time:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/cest|title=CEST – Central European Summer Time (Time Zone Abbreviation)|website=www.timeanddate.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref> * Albania, since 1974 * Andorra, since 1985 * Austria, since 1980 * Belgium, since 1980 * Bosnia and Herzegovina, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Croatia, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Czech Republic, since 1979 when part of Czechoslovakia * Denmark (metropolitan), since 1980 * France (metropolitan), since 1976 * Germany, since 1980 * Gibraltar, since 1982 * Hungary, since 1980 * Italy, since 1968 * Kosovo, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Liechtenstein, since 1981 * Luxembourg, since 1981 * Malta, since 1974 * Monaco, since 1976 * Montenegro, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Netherlands, since 1977 * North Macedonia, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Norway, since 1980 * Poland, since 1977 * San Marino, since 1966 * Serbia, since 1945 when part of Yugoslavia * Slovakia, since 1979 when part of Czechoslovakia * Slovenia, since 1983 when part of Yugoslavia * Spain, since 1974 (except Canary Islands, which instead apply Western European Summer Time) * Sweden, since 1980 * Switzerland, since 1981 * Vatican City, since 1966
The following countries have also used Central European Summer Time in the past: * Libya, 1951–1959, 1982–1989, 1996–1997, 2012–2013 * Lithuania, 1998–1999 * Portugal, 1993–1995 * Tunisia, 2005–2008
==See also== * European Summer Time * Time zone
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Time zones Category:Daylight saving time Category:Time in Europe