Soviet Moldovan resolution 132 of 1990 defined the summer time period from the last Sunday in March at 2:00 to the last Sunday in September at 3:00, matching the dates used in most of Europe at the time: https://web.archive.org/web/20211107050832/http://lex.justice.md/viewdoc.php... It seems that in 1996 Moldova changed the end date to October like most of Europe, but kept the transitions at 2:00 and 3:00 rather than 1:00 UTC, which would have been locally 3:00 and 4:00. The TZ database currently shows Moldova with the transitions at 2:00 and 3:00 since 1997. The notices in the Moldovan government website and broadcaster showed the transitions at 2:00 and 3:00 until 2021: 2015 https://old.gov.md/en/node/7304 2016 https://old.gov.md/en/node/12587 2017 https://old.gov.md/en/node/20654 2017 https://old.gov.md/en/content/moldova-upholds-winter-time-night-28-29-octobe... 2018 https://old.gov.md/en/content/moldova-switch-summer-time 2018 https://old.gov.md/en/content/cabinet-ministers-informs-about-switch-winter-... 2019 https://old.gov.md/en/content/moldova-switch-summer-time-31-march 2019 https://old.gov.md/en/node/31122 2020 https://old.gov.md/en/node/32771 2020 https://old.gov.md/en/node/34497 2021 https://trm.md/ro/social/moldova-trece-in-aceasta-noapte-la-ora-de-vara 2021 https://trm.md/en/social/republica-moldova-trece-la-ora-de-iarna1 However, since 2022, the notices showed the transitions at 3:00 and 4:00, matching the EU rule at 1:00 UTC: 2022 https://trm.md/en/social/in-acest-weekend-republica-moldova-trece-la-ora-de-... 2022 https://old.gov.md/en/content/moldova-switch-winter-time 2023 https://moldova1.md/p/6587/ora-de-vara-2023-cum-schimbam-acele-ceasornicelor... 2023 https://old.gov.md/en/node/46662 2024 https://moldova1.md/p/26535/republica-moldova-trece-la-ora-de-vara-in-acest-... 2024 https://moldova1.md/p/37768/republica-moldova-trece-in-aceasta-noapte-la-ora... 2025 https://moldova1.md/p/46349/republica-moldova-trece-la-ora-de-vara-pe-30-mar... 2025 https://moldova1.md/p/60469/republica-moldova-trece-la-ora-de-iarna-ceasuril... It seems that the changes to the end date and transition times were just done in practice without formally changing the resolution. In late 2025, the government said that the Soviet resolution was still in force, and proposed a new resolution to replace it and formally establish the EU rule: https://particip.gov.md/ro/document/stages/anunt-de-initiere-a-proiectului-d... https://gov.md/sites/default/files/media/documents/sedinte-de-guvern/2026-02... It plans to approve the proposed resolution on 25 February 2026: https://gov.md/en/node/9683 However, based on the notices, it seems that in practice Moldova already uses the EU rule since 2022. This was also the year when Moldova applied to join the EU. Regards, David
Thanks for the corrections and the citations. I installed the attached patch to fix Moldova's transitions since 2022. It looks like we'll need a new release soon, as TZDB will be slightly wrong for the March 29 transition in Moldova, as it will have the transition occurring an hour too early. I would like to at least wait for the resolution to be approved tomorrow, though. You write:
It seems that in 1996 Moldova changed the end date to October like most of Europe, but kept the transitions at 2:00 and 3:00 rather than 1:00 UTC, which would have been locally 3:00 and 4:00.
Yes, 1996 is confusing, as we have both Romania and Moldova switching on the EU dates but at 00:00 instead of at 02:00 and 03:00 as you stated. Is there a source for the 1996 transition times? Your email didn't mention one - not surprising, as reliable sources can be hard to come by for that historical period in eastern Europe. For now, I left that alone. Thanks again for the detailed email.
This has been approved and published in the government gazette: https://monitorul.gov.md/ro/monitorul/view/pdf/3234/part/2#page=27
On 2026-02-26 03:50, robertbastian--- via tz wrote:
This has been approved and published in the government gazette: https://monitorul.gov.md/ro/monitorul/view/pdf/3234/part/2#page=27
Thanks, I installed the attached further patch. We should issue a new TZDB release soon (though not today...).
Thank you for installing the patch. I haven't found a source for 1996. The government approved the resolution yesterday and published it in the official gazette today: https://monitorul.gov.md/ro/monitorul/view/pdf/3234/part/2#page=26
I can see now that Europe/Tiraspol is in file backzone. But should it not be in the official file europe? As far as I understand, no other zone table represents exactly the same post-1970 history as this backzone entry. At least it is not mentioned in documentation.
On 9 Mar 2026, at 09:28, Alois Treindl <alois@astro.ch> wrote:
Moldova is effectively split into a west oriented part, capital Chinisau, and a separatist eastern part called Transnistria. It may be that transition to EU-style DST does not apply to Transnistria.
is there any information about this?
Will a new TZ zone be needed for Tiraspol, its capital?
On 2/24/26 10:25 AM, Paul Eggert via tz wrote:
Thanks for the corrections and the citations. I installed the attached patch to fix Moldova's transitions since 2022.
It looks like we'll need a new release soon, as TZDB will be slightly wrong for the March 29 transition in Moldova, as it will have the transition occurring an hour too early. I would like to at least wait for the resolution to be approved tomorrow, though.
You write:
It seems that in 1996 Moldova changed the end date to October like most of Europe, but kept the transitions at 2:00 and 3:00 rather than 1:00 UTC, which would have been locally 3:00 and 4:00.
Yes, 1996 is confusing, as we have both Romania and Moldova switching on the EU dates but at 00:00 instead of at 02:00 and 03:00 as you stated. Is there a source for the 1996 transition times? Your email didn't mention one - not surprising, as reliable sources can be hard to come by for that historical period in eastern Europe. For now, I left that alone.
Thanks again for the detailed email.
On Mon, 9 Mar 2026 at 04:28, Alois Treindl via tz <tz@iana.org> wrote:
Moldova is effectively split into a west oriented part, capital Chinisau, and a separatist eastern part called Transnistria. It may be that transition to EU-style DST does not apply to Transnistria.
is there any information about this?
Not really, at least not anything definitive as it relates to differences in timekeeping that have been brought to our attention. On Mon, 9 Mar 2026 at 05:49, Astrodienst Webmaster via tz <tz@iana.org> wrote:
I can see now that Europe/Tiraspol is in file backzone. But should it not be in the official file europe?
No, it and the others were removed to that file in 2014 for the reasons mentioned at the top of the file. In particular, the data for Europe/Tiraspol is not at all well-sourced and so we cannot be confident in its correctness.
As far as I understand, no other zone table represents exactly the same post-1970 history as this backzone entry.
The post-1970 data for Europe/Tiraspol matches Europe/Moscow up to the point when it was removed in 2001. (backzone did not exist until 2014, so there was nowhere good to put it until then.) Regardless, theory.html touches on the practical limits of tracking fluid separatist regions too closely. Our general guidance is for such regions is to use the primary zone entry of the region with which they are choosing to align.
At least it is not mentioned in documentation.
The reasons Europe/Tiraspol is not in the main files is well-documented in the europe file: # From Paul Eggert (2006-03-22): # A previous version of this database followed Shanks & Pottenger, who write # that Tiraspol switched to Moscow time on 1992-01-19 at 02:00. # However, this is most likely an error, as Moldova declared independence # on 1991-08-27 (the 1992-01-19 date is that of a Russian decree). # In early 1992 there was large-scale interethnic violence in the area # and it's possible that some Russophones continued to observe Moscow time. # But [two people] separately reported via # Jesper Nørgaard that as of 2001-01-24 Tiraspol was like Chisinau. # The Tiraspol entry has therefore been removed for now. We had a bit of a "false alarm" in 2011 due to conflicting reporting shortly after Russia began its "permanent DST" experiment, but ultimately there was no need to re-create the zone: # From Alexander Krivenyshev (2011-10-26) # NO need to divide Moldova into two timezones at this point. # As of today, Transnistria (Pridnestrovie)- Tiraspol reversed its own # decision to abolish DST this winter. # Following Moldova and neighboring Ukraine- Transnistria (Pridnestrovie)- # Tiraspol will go back to winter time on October 30, 2011. -- Tim Parenti
Alois Treindl via tz wrote in <201b594f-663a-43e6-aa48-f459291ae5c5@astro.ch>: |Moldova is effectively split into a west oriented part, capital Chinisau, |and a separatist eastern part called Transnistria. Btw, and a bit off-topic, but it seems to me that the government of Moldova, especially the president, is the separatist, as they want to join Moldova with Romania? A.k.a. dissolve Moldova? Against the several-times-declared-will of the majority of the people, *if* (and this is emphasized, as the European media consists of only propaganda[1]) i get this right. |It may be that transition to EU-style DST does not apply to Transnistria. | |is there any information about this? | |Will a new TZ zone be needed for Tiraspol, its capital? ... [1] To note that the famous (to this day, especially beneath German journalists) German journalist Paul Sethe said in 1965 (that is pre-moon, really) Pressefreiheit ist die Freiheit von zweihundert reichen Leuten, ihre Meinung zu verbreiten. Freedom of press is the freedom of two hundred wealthy people to distribute their opinions [Es gibt Oasen] in denen noch die Luft der Freiheit weht, [.] aber wie viele von meinen Kollegen können das von sich sagen? [There are Oases] in which the "air or freedom blows", but how many of my collegues can ~"say that from themselves"? frei ist, wer reich ist. Das ist nicht von Karl Marx, sondern von Paul Sethe. Free is who is weahlthy. That is not by Karl Marx, but .. To end this with words of one of the many Jewish people i (who is contra Israel, more pro Judah, in Bible times) admire, Daniel Barenboim: To have real knowledge, one must understand the essence of things and not only their manifestations. --steffen | |Der Kragenbaer, The moon bear, |der holt sich munter he cheerfully and one by one |einen nach dem anderen runter wa.ks himself off |(By Robert Gernhardt)
participants (7)
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Alois Treindl -
Astrodienst Webmaster
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Heitor David Pinto -
Paul Eggert -
robertbastian＠unicode.org -
Steffen Nurpmeso -
Tim Parenti