[LEAPSECS] one signature brings UTC to US

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "SJ Kissane" <skissane at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] one signature brings UTC to US
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:00:26 +1000
Message-ID: <82fa66380708100300w4a34e41evc9c2358fbb12dfda at mail.gmail.com>


> On 10/08/07, Clive D.W. Feather <clive at demon.net> wrote:

> > Magnus Danielson said:

> > >> However, there isn't a problem: Sweden switches from UTC+1 to UTC+2 at

> > >> 01:00:00 GMT (which is somewhere between 01:59:59 and 02:01:01 local time).

> > > You are even missing the point. It was also prepared by the Swedish Govrement,

> > > and I think they had their law-text written up as they wished it to be.

> > >

> > > It *IS* UTC and switches on UTC time.

> > >

> > > Don't complain on the Swedish realization and laws, complain on the incompetent

> > > translators of EU instead. You are barking up the wrong tree here!

> >

> > No, I'm afraid you are.

> >

> > The Directive clearly states that the transition happens *throughout the

> > EU* [1] at 01:00 GMT. The Swedes can't pick a different time to make the

> > change, no matter what their local time is [2], any more than they could

> > pick a different date or do it at 03:00 GMT. This is not a translation

> > error.

> Yes, but given that directives (as opposed to regulations) lack direct

> effect, if Swedish law & EU directives conflict, Swedish law takes

> priority -- the European Commission can reprimand Sweden or take it to

> court if they wish, but until they convince Sweden to change the law,

> the Swedish law applies (in general), not the directive. (Not that the

> Commission would actually bother with a fiddly issue like this.)


As has been discussed before, I did a lookthrough of the different translations
of this directive, and depending on which translation you have it says GMT or
UTC. It is in the archives.

Cheers,
Magnus