The usual time difference between Morocco and France has doubled since Europe switched to summer time.
If Morocco switches to summer time this year, it will do so in early May 2011. The scheduled date appears to be 2 May 2011… for a short period, as the return to standard time will take place on 8 August, due to Ramadan. This is the same date as in 2010, a month earlier than the switch to summer time in 2009, and this gives hope that next year, Morocco will continue this trend and eventually be in sync with Europe.
However, as usual, nothing is certain. There has been no advance official announcement, as is usually the case, and even according to Yabiladi, there is a big question mark, because with barely two months to go before the start of summer time, nothing is known “from a reliable source”.
Other sources reportedly suggest an even earlier, faster switch, from 3 April to 30 July. Although Morocco is in the habit of changing the clocks at short notice (during the first switch to summer time, the end date was brought forward due to Ramadan), this scenario seems highly unlikely.
Daylight saving time, which was introduced to save energy, appears to be a success, but it is leading Moroccans to behave rather strangely: in everyday life, everyone sticks to standard time – at least when it comes to telling the time; many public clocks, including those in government ministries, have not been adjusted, and it takes some mental gymnastics to realise that 7 o’clock is actually 6 o’clock. Gradually, daylight saving time is becoming the norm for Moroccans.
I’m still curious about the 2012 timetables… will we switch back to summer time after Ramadan ends?
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