The mayor of Vadsø, Wenche Pedersen, has asked the European Commission to establish a separate time zone covering 26 hours a day. The northernmost part of Norway, on the shores of the Barents Sea and the border with Russia, has asked the European Commission for permission to create its own time zone, which will take into account the local lifestyle and values of people living in the northernmost part of the country - as we read on the Radio Nordkapp website
The request comes from Wenche Pedersen, Mayor of Vadsø Municipality and Chairwoman of the Øst-Finnmarksrådet Council.
Mayor asks for new directive from The European Commission, which will require Norwegian authorities to approve the creation of a time zone of 26 hours a day, instead of the standard 24. The "MOREtime" project aims to celebrate and promote the unique lifestyle that can be found in this remote region of Europe.
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Norwegian mayor Wenche Pedersen wants a separate time zone
"Living in this remote and beautiful part of Norway gives a special sense of peace that allows for a different concept of time," Pedersen writes in his letter to the European Commission. He also adds: “People here really value the extra time in their day, which allows us to achieve our personal goals and dreams while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and combating climate change.”
Through the Moretime project, our communities aim to celebrate and promote their unique lifestyles, and offer individuals the opportunity to enjoy more time for quality activities such as fishing, hunting, learning new languages or simply spending time with loved ones.
The region hopes to attract more young people
By having its own certified time zone within the EU, the region hopes to attract more young people. The goal for more people to discover and settle in this part of the world applies not only to the people of Norway, but to people from all over the world. This is important both from a geopolitical perspective and in terms of national resilience and environmental considerations.
The European Commission is responsible for time regulation and appropriate technology, and sets standard times for all countries in the EEA, including Norway. This responsibility is implemented through directives such as the summer time system. We are therefore appealing directly to the committee to solve this urgent problem in the most northern part parts of Norway," adds Wenche Pedersen.
The mayor asks the European Commission for a new directive
The commune therefore asks, with reference to the EEA Agreement, that the European Commission kindly, through a new directive, approve the possibility of creating a separate time zone for the Arctic part of the country, which would allow the extension of the day from 24 to 26 hours.
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Source: Radio Nordkapp, Photo: EU
Also read: Books in Polish in a Norwegian library
