8th EU Directive, French time

[Peter Ilieve]

> Has the 8th EU Summer Time Directive come out? (starting in 1998)

Not that I know of. The Transport Council (the group of national transport
ministers who decide this) aren't due to meet for the first time this
year until 11 March so I can't see it happening before then. I have just
checked with my contact at the local EC Information Office and she hasn't
heard anything either. They did apparently have an informal meeting
on 31 Jan but I can't see anything in the midday press releases
(at http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/spp/me/midday.html, with the relevent
past ones at me970131.html, me970203.html, etc. (these people have a year 2000
problem looming :-) ).

> Also, is France going to move from GMT+1 to GMT+2 this spring, and are they
> still discussing remaining on the same time all year? (Perhaps permanent rule
> change might be deferred until the end of the 7th Directive in October 1997.)

I haven't seen any reports about this for months. I think it very unlikely
that they will not follow the existing 7th directive. Any change, if it comes
at all, is likely to be in 1998.

> Has a date been set for the British General Election?

No, but the options are closing in all the time. John Major has all but
said it will be 1 May. I think the latest date is 5 May, but elections are
always on a Thursday here so that is out. The other hot tip was 20 March
but I think it is now too late to dissolve Parliament and meet that date.
There is a by-election at Wirral South today, the result of which will
no doubt confuse things even more.


A bit of bonus news I saw today: there will be a leap second on 30 June 1997.
See ftp://hpvlbi.obspm.fr/iers/bul/bulc/bulletinc.13 or
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/leap.html.


		Peter Ilieve		peter at aldie.co.uk