Countries on Central European Time: Full List
Algeria, Tunisia, and 16 EU member states stay on UTC+1 all winter. In summer, 16 of them jump to UTC+2, while the two North African nations stay put.
The IANA time zone database lists 17 zones that use the Europe_Central metazone. That covers the EU countries that observe CET/CEST, plus Algeria and Tunisia, which run on UTC+1 year-round.
Which countries stay on cet all year, and which switch?
| Country | Region | CET (UTC+1) | CEST (UTC+2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Algeria | North Africa | Yes, year-round | No |
| Andorra | Southwest Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Austria | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Belgium | Western Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Croatia | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Czech Republic | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Denmark | Northern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| France | Western Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Germany | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Gibraltar | Southwest Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Hungary | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Italy | Southern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Kosovo | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Liechtenstein | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Luxembourg | Western Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Malta | Southern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Monaco | Western Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Montenegro | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Netherlands | Western Europe | Yes | Yes |
| North Macedonia | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Norway | Northern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Poland | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| San Marino | Southern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Serbia | Southeast Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Slovakia | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Slovenia | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Spain | Southwest Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Sweden | Northern Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Switzerland | Central Europe | Yes | Yes |
| Tunisia | North Africa | Yes, year-round | No |
| Vatican City | Southern Europe | Yes | Yes |
EU member states on cet
All EU countries on Central European Time follow Directive 2000/84/EC. The common daylight saving dates:
- DST begins: last Sunday of March at 01:00 UTC
- DST ends: last Sunday of October at 01:00 UTC
The EU countries on CET/CEST are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
The remaining EU countries use Eastern European Time (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) or Western European Time (Ireland, Portugal).
Non-EU countries on cet
Algeria
This North African nation uses CET (UTC+1) year-round. No daylight saving. That puts it on the same clock as CET countries in winter, then one hour behind them in summer when they switch to CEST. The country last observed DST in 2008.
Tunisia
Tunisia also sticks to CET (UTC+1) with no DST. It aligns with CET in winter and trails by an hour during European summer months. Its last DST period ended in 2005.
Both countries sit at longitudes comparable to mainland Europe and adopted CET for practical and political alignment.
Countries that observe cest vs permanent cet
| Country | CET (winter) | CEST (summer) |
|---|---|---|
| EU countries on CET | Yes | Yes |
| Algeria | Yes | No, stays on UTC+1 |
| Tunisia | Yes | No, stays on UTC+1 |
Algeria and Tunisia do not follow the EU DST schedule.
Cet countries by region
Western Europe
France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Monaco.
These countries sit geographically west of Greenwich but use CET. France is the most striking case: most of its mainland territory lies west of the Prime Meridian.
Central Europe
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary.
This is the core CET region. Germany and Austria adopted CET in 1893. Neighbouring countries followed over the following decades.
Southern Europe
Italy, Spain, Malta, San Marino, Vatican City, Andorra.
Italy adopted CET in 1893. Spain switched from GMT to CET in 1940 under the Franco regime and never switched back.
Southeast Europe
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania.
These countries sit geographically close to the Eastern European Time zone but use CET for political and economic alignment with Central Europe.
North Africa
Algeria, Tunisia.
Both use CET year-round without DST.
Why does Spain use cet when it sits west of Greenwich?
Mainland Spain sits between 9°W and 3°E longitude. In solar terms, Madrid is closer to London than to Berlin. Solar noon in Madrid in winter lands around 13:15 to 13:30. In summer, on CEST, it pushes past 14:00.
In 1940, Francisco Franco moved Spain from GMT to CET, aligning with Nazi Germany. The country kept CET after the Second World War and after the transition to democracy. The late solar noon drives Spain's late meal rhythm: lunch at 14:00 or 15:00, dinner at 21:00 or later.
Why is France on cet and not gmt?
France adopted Paris mean time retarded by 9 minutes 21 seconds in 1911, effectively GMT+1. It was a compromise between solar time and railway coordination with Germany and neighbours.
Most of France lies west of the Greenwich meridian. The city of Greenwich sits at the same longitude as the French city of Le Havre. Yet France uses CET, not GMT.
France spans 12 time zones when overseas territories are included, but metropolitan France stays firmly on CET/CEST.
Countries in the cet longitude band that chose a different zone
Several countries sit at similar longitudes to CET countries but use different time zones:
| Country | Actual Time Zone | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | GMT/BST | UTC+0 / UTC+1 |
| Ireland | GMT/IST | UTC+0 / UTC+1 |
| Portugal | WET/WEST | UTC+0 / UTC+1 |
| Greece | EET/EEST | UTC+2 / UTC+3 |
| Romania | EET/EEST | UTC+2 / UTC+3 |
| Bulgaria | EET/EEST | UTC+2 / UTC+3 |
The UK, Ireland, and Portugal use Western European Time despite sitting at similar longitudes to Spain and France. They chose to stay closer to solar time.
Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria use Eastern European Time, one hour ahead of CET. Their western regions lie at similar longitudes to CET countries like Hungary and Serbia.
IANA time zones for each cet country
The IANA time zone database lists 17 zones using the Europe_Central metazone:
| IANA Zone | Covered Areas |
|---|---|
| Africa/Algiers | Algeria |
| Africa/Ceuta | Ceuta, Melilla (Spain) |
| Africa/Tunis | Tunisia |
| Europe/Andorra | Andorra |
| Europe/Belgrade | Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia |
| Europe/Berlin | Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden |
| Europe/Brussels | Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands |
| Europe/Budapest | Hungary, Slovakia |
| Europe/Gibraltar | Gibraltar |
| Europe/Madrid | Spain (mainland, Balearic Islands) |
| Europe/Malta | Malta |
| Europe/Paris | France, Monaco |
| Europe/Prague | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| Europe/Rome | Italy, San Marino, Vatican City |
| Europe/Tirane | Albania |
| Europe/Vienna | Austria, Liechtenstein |
| Europe/Warsaw | Poland |
| Europe/Zurich | Switzerland, Liechtenstein |
The representative zone for CET is Europe/Paris. The city of Paris has a population of 2,138,551.
Cet time now
Central European Time is UTC+1 in winter. Central European Summer Time is UTC+2 in summer.
For current time in the CET zone, see /cet-time-now.
For more on the difference between CET and CEST, see /cet-to-cest.
For details on DST dates, see /cet-daylight-saving-time.
For the history of CET, see /cet-history.
For a list of major cities in the zone, see /cities-in-cet.
For why Spain uses CET, see /why-is-spain-on-cet.
For Algeria's time zone, see /time-in-algeria.
For Tunisia's time zone, see /time-in-tunisia.