Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of the time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in most European and some North African countries.
Its time offset is normally UTC+1. During daylight saving time, Central European Summer Time (CEST) is used instead (UTC+2). The current time offset is UTC+1.
Usage
Central European Time usage in Europe
The following countries and territories use Central European Time during the winter only, between 1:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October and 1:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March:
- Albania, regularly since 1975
- Andorra, regularly since 1984
- Austria, regularly since 1980
- Belgium, regularly since 1980
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, regularly since 1983
- Croatia, regularly since 1983
- Czech Republic, regularly since 1979
- Denmark (metropolitan), regularly since 1980
- France (metropolitan), regularly since 1976
- Germany, regularly since 1980
- Gibraltar, regularly since 1982
- Hungary, regularly since 1980
- Italy, regularly since 1966
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg, regularly since 1977
- Republic of Macedonia, regularly since 1983
- Malta, regularly since 1974
- Monaco, regularly since 1976
- Montenegro, regularly since 1983
- Netherlands (metropolitan), regularly since 1977
- Norway, regularly since 1980
- Poland, regularly since 1977
- San Marino, regularly since 1966
- Serbia, regularly since 1983
- Slovakia, regularly since 1979
- Slovenia, regularly since 1983
- Spain (except Canary Islands), regularly since 1974
- Sweden, regularly since 1980
- Switzerland, regularly since 1981
- Vatican, regularly since 1966
Before World War II, Lithuania used CET (MET) in the years 1920–40. During the war Germany implemented this time in all occupied territories. In France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg CET was kept. After the war Monaco, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar implemented CET.
Ireland and the United Kingdom experimentally adopted CET in the years 1968–71; however, this experiment proved unpopular and short-lived, mainly due to the increased number of road accidents (many involving children walking to school) in the dark winter mornings. Portugal used CET in the years 1966–76 and 1992–96.
Central European Time usage in Africa
Algeria uses Central European Time throughout the year, Tunisia only in winter.
For other counties that use UTC+1, see also West Africa Time.
Anomalies
| Color |
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 |
|
3 h ± 30 m ahead |
Since political, in addition to purely geographical, criteria are used in the drawing of time zones, it follows that actual time zones do not precisely adhere to meridian lines. The CET (UTC+1) time zone, were it drawn by purely geographical terms, would consist of exactly the area between meridians 7°30′ E and 22°30′ E. As a result, there are European locales that despite lying in an area with a "physical" UTC+1 time, actually use another time zone (UTC+2 in particular – there are no "physical" UTC+1 areas that employ UTC); contrariwise, there are European areas that have gone for UTC+1, even though their "physical" time zone is UTC (typically), UTC-1 (westernmost Spain), or UTC+2 (e.g. the very easternmost parts of Norway, Poland, and Serbia). Following is a list of such "incongruences":
Gibraltar maintained UTC+1 all year until the opening of the land frontier with Spain in 1982 when it followed its neighbour and introduced CEST.
Areas located within UTC+1 longitudes
Areas between 7°30′ E and 22°30′ E ("physical" UTC+1)
- The westernmost part of Greece, including the cities of Patras, Ioannina and the island of Corfu
- The westernmost parts of the Bulgarian provinces of Vidin and Kyustendil
- The westernmost part of Romania, including most of the area of the counties of Caraş-Severin, Timiş (capital Timişoara), Arad, and Bihor, as well as the westernmost tips of the counties of Mehedinţi and Satu Mare
- The westernmost tip of Ukraine, near the border with Hungary and Slovakia, at the Ukrainian Transcarpathian Oblast (Zakarpattia Oblast), essentially comprising the city of Uzhhorod and its environs. (Although CET is used as local, non-official time in Transcarpathia).
- The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, excluding however its easternmost slice (the city of Nesterov is east of 22°30′ E, but that of Krasnoznamensk is not)
- Western Lithuania, including the cities of Klaipėda, Tauragė, and Telšiai
- Western Latvia, including the cities of Liepāja and Ventspils
- The westernmost parts of the Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, including the capital of the Saare County, Kuressaare
- The southwestern coast of Finland, including the city of Turku; also the Åland islands (of Finnish jurisdiction) – the Åland islands are the westernmost locale applying EET in the whole of Europe
- The northwesternmost part of Finland, including Kilpisjärvi and Kaaresuvanto.
Areas located outside UTC+1 longitudes using UTC+1 time
Areas between 22°30′ W and 7°30′ W ("physical" UTC-1)
Areas between 7°30′ W and 7°30′ E ("physical" UTC)
- Andorra
- Belgium
- France, except for the absolutely easternmost part, in Alsace, incl. Strasbourg, and except for Corsica
- The very westernmost part of Germany, incl. the cities of Saarbrücken, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Aachen, and Trier
- The absolutely westernmost part of Italy, incl. the cities of Aosta in Aosta Valley and Cuneo in Piedmont
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- The westernmost part of Norway, incl. the cities of Bergen and Stavanger
- Spain, except for the westernmost part (see above)
- The part of Switzerland west of Bern (inclusive), also incl. cities such as Geneva, Lausanne, and Fribourg
Areas between 22°30′ E and 37°30' ("physical" UTC+2)
- The easternmost part of the Republic of Macedonia, including the city of Strumica
- The easternmost part of Serbia, in the Pirot District, including the city of Pirot
- The easternmost tips of Hungary and Slovakia, bordering to the north and south respectively the Ukrainian Transcarpathian Oblast (Zakarpattia Oblast), a bit to the east of Vásárosnamény, Hungary – Uzhhorod, Ukraine (both at 22°18′ E) line
- The easternmost part of Poland, including the cities of Lublin and Białystok
- The northeast of Sweden, in the Norrbotten province, including the cities of Kalix and Haparanda
- The northeast of Norway, lying north of Finland, roughly coinciding with the county of Finnmark; for instance Vadsø, the capital of Finnmark, has a longitude of 23°49′ E. Actually, the easternmost town in Norway, Vardø, lies at 30°51′ E, which is so far east, so as to be east even of the central meridian of EET (UTC+2), i.e. east of Istanbul and Alexandria. The sun reaches its highest point at 10:56 (when not DST).
- It is also interesting to note that the Norwegian-Russian border (incl. border passings such as Kirkenes) is the only place where CET (UTC+1) borders Moscow time (UTC+3), resulting in a two hours time change for the passenger crossing that border. More so, there exists a "tri-zone" point (where UTC+1, UTC+2, and UTC+3 meet) at the Norway-Finland-Russia tripoint (look for the town of Nautsi in this map). This is the only "tri-zone" point within Europe. It is interesting to perform the following mental experiment when looking at this map: Go to the westernmost point of the red area (the Jäniskoski-Niskakoski area); this belongs to Russian jurisdiction, hence the time there is UTC+3. Then, take a northeastern (NE) direction (that is an eastwards direction); you will soon be crossing into Finnish territory, thus moving to the UTC+2 time zone. Continuing in that direction, you will eventually reach the Finland-Norway border and enter Norway, thus passing into the UTC+1 time zone. So, moving in a (north–)easterly direction, you will be moving from UTC+3 to UTC+2 to UTC+1! A note for time zone tourists: If you need a visa to enter Russia it is illegal to cross the border outside border controls.
See also
References
