Western European Time
Template:Short description Template:Time zones of Europe Western European Time (WET, UTC+00:00) is a time zone covering parts of western Europe and consists of countries using UTC+00:00 (also known as Greenwich Mean Time, abbreviated GMT).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of the three standard time zones in the European Union along with Central European Time and Eastern European Time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />
The following Western European countries and regions use UTC+00:00 in winter months:
- Portugal, since 1912 with pauses (except Azores, UTC−01:00)<ref name="Time Zones of Portugal">Template:Cite web</ref>
- United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies, since 1847 in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, and since 1916 in Northern Ireland, with pauses<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>David Ennals "British Standard Times Bill [Lords]", Hansard, House of Commons Debate, 23 January 1968, vol 757 cc290-366, 290–92</ref><ref>"British Standard Time", Hansard (HC), 2 December 1970, vol 807 cc1331-422</ref>
- Ireland, since 1916,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> except between 1968 and 1971<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Canary Islands, since 1946 (rest of Spain is CET, UTC+01:00)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Faroe Islands, since 1908<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- North Eastern Greenland (Danmarkshavn and surrounding area)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Iceland, since 1968, without summer time changes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
All the above countries except Iceland<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> implement daylight saving time in summer (from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October each year), switching to Western European Summer Time (WEST, UTC+01:00), which is one hour ahead of WET.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> WEST is called British Summer Time in the UK and is legally defined as Irish Standard Time in Ireland.
The nominal span of the UTC+00:00 time zone is 7.5°E to 7.5°W (0° ± 7.5°), but does not include the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Gibraltar or Spain (except Canary Islands) which use Central European Time (CET) even though these are mostly or completely west of 7.5°E. Conversely, Iceland and eastern Greenland use UTC+00:00 although both are west of 7.5°W. In September 2013, a Spanish parliamentary committee recommended switching to UTC+00:00.<ref>"Spain considers time zone change to boost productivity". BBC News. 27 September 2013.</ref><ref>Hamilos, Paul (26 September 2013). "Adiós, siesta? Spain considers ending Franco's change to working hours". The Guardian (London).</ref><ref>Dewey, Caitlin (26 September 2013). "Spaniards are less productive, constantly tired because Spain is in the wrong time zone". The Washington Post.</ref>
Historical uses
A slight variation of UTC+00:00, based until 1911 on the Paris Meridian, was used in:
- Andorra: 1901–1946<ref name="timeanddate.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Belgium: 1892–1914 (without daylight saving time)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 1919–1940 (with daylight saving time)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- France: 1911–1940<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 1944–1945<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Gibraltar: 1880–1957<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Luxembourg: 1918–1940<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Monaco: 1911–1945<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Until the Second World War, France used UTC+00:00. However, the German occupation switched France to German time, and it has remained in CET since then.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Two other occupied territories, Belgium and the Netherlands, did the same, and Spain also switched to CET in solidarity with Germany under the orders of General Franco.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the United Kingdom, from 1940 to 1945 British Summer Time (BST=CET) was used in winters, and from 1941 to 1945 and again in 1947, British Double Summer Time (BDST=CEST) was used in summers. Between 18 February 1968 and 31 October 1971, BST was used all year round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In Ireland, from 1940 to 1946 Irish Summer Time (IST=CET) was used all year round, with no 'double' summer time akin to that in the United Kingdom. Between 18 February 1968 and 31 October 1971, Irish Standard Time was used all year round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In Portugal, CET was used in the mainland from 1966 to 1976 and from 1992 to 1996. The autonomous region of the Azores used WET from 1992 to 1993.<ref>Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 29/92/A (23-12-1992) (in Portuguese), Diário da República (Diary of the Republic) – 1st Series - A, nr. 295, p. 5932-(2), 23 December 1992. Retrieved 11 January 2014</ref><ref>Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 8/93/A (26-03-1993) (in Portuguese), Diário da República (Diary of the Republic) – 1st Series - A, nr. 72, p. 1496-(272), 23 March 1993. Retrieved 11 January 2014</ref><ref>Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 9/93/A (15-07-1993) (in Portuguese), Diário da República (Diary of the Republic) – 1st Series - A, nr. 164, p. 3845–3846, 15 July 1993. Retrieved 11 January 2014</ref>
Anomalies
| Colour | Legal time vs local mean time |
|---|---|
| 1 h ± 30 m behind | |
| 0 h ± 30 m | |
| 1 h ± 30 m ahead | |
| 2 h ± 30 m ahead |
Regions located outside UTC longitudes
Located west of 22°30′ W ("physical" UTC−2)
- Western parts of Iceland
Located west of 7°30′ W ("physical" UTC-1)
- Most of Iceland
- Mykines, Faroe Islands
- Western Ireland
- Western Portugal
- Madeira islands
- Canary Islands
- North-eastern Greenland
- Western parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland
Areas located within UTC+00:00 longitudes using other time zones
These areas are actually located between 7°30′E and 7°30′W (nominally UTC+0) but use UTC+01:00 (Central European Time, nominally for longitudes between 7°30′E and 22°30′E):
All of
and most of
and minor parts of other countries.