Court Case Against Morocco's Time Change

The lawyers Union in Morocco is to challenge the back the government on its decision to keep the official time to GMT + 1, describing the government decree as unconstitutional

"A commission is preparing the file to be filed with the administrative chamber of the court of cassation," said union president, Master Raji Lhoucine. The lawyers' union of Morocco intends to plead the "unconstitutionality" of the decree by arguing the lack of consultation of citizens prior to taking this decision." "Moreover, the study on which this decision was based has never been made public," continues the lawyer.

Second grievance considered against the decree: says it is a breach of public order. "The change of time disturbs the social order. Abrupt changes in school and administrative hours may destabilize citizens in their family habits, but also in their relationship with public services. Add to that the risks of insecurity," argues Raji Lhoucine.

According to the union president, the lawyers' commission will present the case to the courts in the coming weeks.

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Moroccans Overwhelmingly Opposed to Retaining Summer Time

The decision to suddenly impose an extra hour to Moroccan standard time has left many people  angry and unimpressed. According to a survey conducted by Le Matin, on its Facebook page, 86% of respondents are against the retention of summer time decided this morning following the Government Council 

Immediately after its publication, this information provoked the ire of citizens whether in the street, in administrations or on social networks. Many voices have come forward to denounce "unilateral" decision-making by the government. "It would have been necessary to make a referendum before making this decision", comments a surfer. "We need a national vote," writes another. Many other comments focused on the problem of the rhythm of life that will be turned upside down especially in the morning. "Our children will have to go to school while it's still dark! A parent notices.

For his part, and in the face of these reactions, the Minister Delegate in charge of the Reform of the Administration and Civil Service, Mohamed Benabdelkader, tried to explain the reasons for maintaining this schedule by indicating, in a statement to the press, that this decision is the result of the study carried out by the Ministry. And confirm that this decision only responds to the demands of citizens exacerbated by the multiple changes of time that occur during the year.

He also indicated that the decision to add 60 min to the legal time of the Kingdom will be accompanied by a series of measures, including the school timetable, adding that the first criterion is to allow students to join their schools in the morning and leave them before sunset.

New school hours

The Ministry of Education has announced that schools will start at 9 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. with a lunch break between 1 and 2 p.m.

The ministry has set the new time-table for all public and private schools, vocational training institutes, and universities, the ministry said in a statement Saturday.

The new time will be effective beginning Wednesday, November 7. The date marks the end of the first school holiday.

And airline confusion

Following the measure announced Friday, October 26 by the government to maintain the time GMT + 1 currently in force, Royal Air Maroc advises in a statement that its passengers flight schedules will be delayed one hour on departure and at the arrival of the various Moroccan airports from Sunday, October 28, 2018 to 03 hours.
For this purpose, and as a precautionary measure, the national carrier calls its customers to inquire about the program of their flights with its services at the following numbers:
- Morocco: 089000 0800 ;
- International number: +212522489797.

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No Time Change: Morocco to Stay on Daylight Saving Time Year-Round

Morocco World News confirms that the government council adopted Draft Decree 2.18.855 today, adding 60 minutes to the standard time in Morocco, moving Morocco to GMT+1 year-round.

What is so surprising is that the government adopted the change overnight, only two days before Morocco was set to turn back the clocks one hour with the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) October 28.

Only yesterday, Secretary General to the Government Mohamed Hajoui called the government council for an exceptional meeting Friday morning to approve a draft decree relating to DST.

Decree 2.18.855 adds 60 minutes to Standard Time in Morocco, which used to be GMT, under Chapter I of the Royal Decree of June 2, 1967 on Standard Time.

The decree will enter into force on the date of its publication in the official gazette. It is expected to be published before Sunday.

The decree aims to maintain DST permanently “to avoid many changes that occur many times during the year and repercussions at many levels.” Morocco typically changes the clocks four times per year, twice for DST and twice for the weeks of Ramadan.

However, the draft decree did not mention any example of the repercussions.

It also indicated that the permanent DST will be adopted as “an experiment.”

According to Article 2 of the decree, the head of government can, for a defined period, suspend the new standard time, when necessary.

Our thanks to Morocco World News for the update!

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Daylight Saving Ends This Sunday

Sunday the 28th of October Daylight Saving Time ends. When local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time instead

                 And then there was this - was it a joke?

Was this someone's idea of a joke? Or was MWN hacked?

Morocco World News is reporting that while Moroccans want it to end for good, The Moroccan government is determined to keep daylight saving time all year round!

It sounds like fake news but the website says that Mohamed Hajoui, Secretary General of the Government, will call on Friday the 26th for a meeting to discuss a law project aiming to institute daylight saving time throughout the year.

While it was expected to end Sunday 28, Morocco will stay in daylight saving time all year round.

This measure purports to end the confusion caused while flipping back and forth between the standard time and daylight saving time, Hespress said.

This measure is expected to cause an uproar among Moroccans at a time when the European Parliament has backed a plan to end daylight saving time in a number of countries.

It appears this is not fake news! Check out our story here: bitly.com/NoTimechange



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Eid al Fitr and Daylight Saving

Morocco will celebrate the end of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr on Friday, June 15. Daylight saving will return on Sunday

Eid al-Fitr 2018 in Morocco will begin in the evening of Thursday, June 14 and ends in the evening of Saturday, June 16.

Daylight saving time 2018 in Morocco returns at 2:00 AM on Sunday, 17 June 2018. At 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, 17 June 03:00:00 local daylight time instead

The next major event will be Eid al-Adha on Wednesday, August 22.

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Daylight Saving Ends on Sunday

With the approach of Ramadan, Morocco will turn clocks back this Sunday

13 May 2018 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, 13 May 2018, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, 13 May 2018, 02:00:00 local standard time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on 13 May 2018 than the day before. There will be more light in the morning.



Daylight saving will return after Ramadan.  17 Jun 2018 - Daylight Saving Time Starts When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, 17 June 2018, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 17 June 2018, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on 17 Jun 2018 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.

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Daylight Saving Reminder !

Daylight saving time 2018 in Morocco will begin at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 25 and ends at 3:00 am on Sunday, October 28

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Daylight Saving Dates Announced in Morocco

Morocco's Ministry of Administration and Civil Service Reform has announced that Morocco will switch to daylight saving time on Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 a.m.

The measure is expected to increase the competitiveness of the national economy through a reduction in energy consumption. It will also reduce the time difference between Morocco and its regional and international trading partners.

In late February, several member countries urged the EU to consider abolishing daylight saving. The energy-saving practice is under review by the European Parliament, which backed a possible plan to end daylight saving time across the 28 member states after 384 deputies out of 549 voted in favor of the resolution. The growing international debate over the seasonal practice has created a debate within Morocco as to whether the North African country will follow its European business partners in this decision.

Daylight saving time was first adopted during the First World War in the UK to give factories more daylight hours to operate in, thereby aiding the war.

The issue has divided MEPs within the European assembly. An October 2017 EU Parliament study stated that, “while daylight-saving time benefits the transport industry, helps outdoor leisure activities and reduces energy consumption, it is associated with disruptions to the human biorhythm.”

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Will Morocco End Daylight Saving?

On February 7th, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for the abandonment of the daylight saving summer timetable. If EU member states are in favour of this proposal, Morocco may also adopt this resolution

The system of summer time is now believed to have more negative points than positive according to the deputies of the European Parliament of Strasbourg. Thus, 384 out of 549 MEPs voted to abandon the summer timetable to adopt a unified European schedule. It will be up to the European Commission to take the advice of all member states before a final decision is taken.

If the summer timetable disappears in Europe, it will also be the case in Morocco especially as its largest economic partners are in Europe, including France and Spain.

MEPs, for their part, justified their vote by the existence of scientific studies demonstrating that it has no positive impact. They argue that the disadvantages have more impact, whether on human health or on agriculture, as well as on the multiplication of road accidents. Moreover, Russia, which has abandoned the summer schedule, said that in the first years of its adoption, its first week recorded some 70,000 deaths in road accidents.

The adoption of summer time dates back to 1784 when it was imposed by Benjamin Franklin in the United States to save candles. In 1916, Europe adopted daylight saving time in the midst of the World War and abandoned it in 1946 at the end of the Second World War. Europe adopted summer time again during the 1973-74 oil crisis to save gas and fuel.

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Daylight Saving Ends On Sunday

Morocco ends daylight saving on Sunday the 29th of October

When local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time instead.

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Return of Daylight Saving in Morocco

From this Sunday, July 2, at 02:00 in the morning, the legal time in Morocco will be advanced by 60 minutes (GMT + 1), according to the Ministry of Reform of Administration and Civil Service

Switching to Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the spring and switching back to standard time for the duration of Ramadan, has been criticised by some Moroccans who claim it disrupts their sleep patterns. For their part, the government says that daylight saving increases the competitiveness of the national economy by reducing the cost of energy bills and facilitating transactions with regional economic partners, mainly in Europe.

Travellers are reminded to double check their flight times.

Daylight saving ends on Sunday, 29 October, when at 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour.

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Sunday 21 May - Daylight Saving Time Ends

A reminder to change watches and clocks on Sunday as  daylight saving ends for the month of Ramadan

21 May 2017 - Daylight Saving Time Ends.When local daylight time is about to reach Sunday, 21 May 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to Sunday, 21 May  02:00:00 local standard time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on 21 May than the day before.



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Daylight Saving in Morocco - March 26

Clocks in Morocco Morocco move forward by 60 minutes (GMT + 1), Sunday 26 March 2017 at 2:00 a.m.

The legal hour in Morocco will be advanced by 60 minutes (GMT + 1), Sunday 26 March 2017 at 2:00 am. This was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Public Service and Modernisation of the Administration.



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Morocco's Daylight Saving Time Ends 30 Oct 2016

The last time change this year takes place on Sunday October 30th 2016, when daylight saving time ends

On Sunday, when local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time.

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Reminder! Daylight Saving Returns Sunday July 10th

Tomorrow Sunday - 10 Jul 2016 - Daylight Saving Time returns. When the local standard time is about to reach 2:00:00 am, clocks should be turned forward 1 hour to 3:00:00 am

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on 10 Jul 2016 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, 30 October 2016.

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Royal Air Maroc Flights Reflect Ramadan Time Change

Royal Air Maroc will change its flight schedules to GMT from Sunday, June 5, 2016, at 3:00 am, to Sunday, July 10, 2016 at 2:00 am. This is in line with the change to standard (GMT) time which takes place on June 5th

The company says that all its schedules will be changed by one hour and reminds passengers to double check their departure times and arrive early at airport check-in desks.

See daylight saving changes here


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Daylight Saving Ends For Ramadan

Prior to the arrival of Ramadan Morocco will return to non-daylight saving time

Sunday, 5 June 2016, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time

Daylight saving will start again on July 10th

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Daylight Saving in Morocco 2016

For visitors to Morocco it is important to understand that due to the Holy month of Ramadan, there is a slightly complex daylight saving schedule

On the 27th of March 2016 - Daylight Saving Time Starts

When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, 27 March 2016, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, 27 March 2016, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead

On the 4th of June 2016 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

When local daylight time is about to reach
Saturday, 4 June 2016, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Saturday, 4 June 2016, 02:00:00 local standard time instead

Note - there is no daylight saving during Ramadan

On the 9th of July 2016 - Daylight Saving Time Starts

When local standard time is about to reach

Saturday, 9 July 2016, 02:00:00 clocks are turned forward 1 hour to 

Saturday, 9 July 2016, 03:00:00 local daylight time instead

30 Oct 2016 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

When local daylight time is about to reach

Sunday, 30 October 2016, 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 

Sunday, 30 October 2016, 02:00:00 local standard time instead

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A Reminder ~ Moroccan Daylight Saving Ends October 25th

Moroccan Daylight Saving Ends - 25th October

Sunday, 25 October 2015, when local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time

Remember that if you are travelling you need to check departure times in order to avoid last minute confusion!

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Moroccan Daylight Saving Ends - 25th October

25 Oct 2015 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

Sunday, 25 October 2015, when local daylight time is about to reach 03:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to 02:00:00 local standard time

An amusing incident that highlights local confusion occurred this morning when a teacher at the American Language Center in Fez turned up an hour late and blamed daylight saving having ended. However, as his brighter students pointed out, if it had been the end of daylight saving, he should have arrived an hour earlier!


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