There are some inconsistencies in the file:

Indeed, but others than you are seeing.

Also, according to the Germany entry and to my vague memory, Germany introduced DST in 1980 rather than 1981, which put pressure on all the small ES countries to come to some kind of harmonisation.

The file correctly notes that Germany introduced it in 1980 and Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein in 1981 (at least in version 95i). However there is a inconsistency in one of the lines for Luxembourg. It states: 1:00 Belgium MET%s 1979 while a similar line for Brussels states 1977. Should be changed in Luxembourg (the BeNeLux switched to "EC" rules in 1977). Further with respect to France. The file states that Shanks has no data on summertime in France in 1975 but that there is a note that states that summertime has been used. I just checked the Dutch railway timetable for summer 1975 and it says nothing about summer- time in France, so I presume no summertime. (In a later year, when it was unsure whether Germany would already switch to summer time until a very late stage the Dutch railway timetable came with double tables when Germany was involved. One for when summertime would be introduced and one when it would not be introduced.) The timetables are pretty good to establish in what years summertime was used; not for the exact starting and ending dates. dik -- dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj amsterdam, nederland, +31205924098 home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn amsterdam, nederland; e-mail: dik@cwi.nl