Norway’s northernmost region plans to introduce a bizarre plan to make a new time zone with a 26-hour day.
Vadso, a remote town in Finnmark County, has sent a proposal to the European Commission which suggests that clocks go up to 13 instead of 12.
Wenche Pedersen, the town’s mayor, told the Commission that the plans would “offer individuals the opportunity to enjoy more quality time’ with their families”.
When asked how the new time zone would work in practice, Pedersen said: “We haven’t thought a lot about that.”
The town’s mayor old the Commission that the plans would offer individuals more family time
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“The clock will go from 12 to 13… and we have to see how this will go. I don’t think they’re going to say yes so we haven’t thought about all the details,” she admitted to Politico.
She said that the extended day would allow people to participate in “activities such as fishing, hunting, learning new languages”, or simply give people more time to be “with loved ones”.
Pedersen said that the town has been struggling to attract new residents, so is hoping that the new time zone would encourage more people to make the move.
“Through our ‘MOREtime’ project, we aim to celebrate and promote this unique way of life, offering individuals the opportunity to enjoy more quality time engaging in activities such as fishing, hunting, learning new languages, or simply being with loved ones,” she said in a letter to the European Commission.
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She said that with more hours in a day, residents can enjoy more time to focus on things that make them happy, rather than rushing to take public transport or travel long distances to get to work.
Pedersen said that even if the plans were rejected, it would still shine some publicity on the town.
“In this respect we are one of the richest regions in Europe because […] we have more time,” Pedersen said.
The town is near the Russian border and the mayor said that now it is “more important than ever” to ensure that the area is populated.
They hope the extra two hours will attract more residents to the town
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“We like our lifestyle and we think that could be very exciting, especially for families with small children,” the mayor told the publication.
“I think it’s a more calm and better everyday life than for example in a big city.”
An official from the European Commission has reportedly said that time zones are down to the countries themselves to organise.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
