EC’s April Fools hoax meant to warn against fake news
In a bid to raise awareness and encourage caution against fake news, the European Commission’s office in Athens said it intentionally leaked a report on Monday that the European Union imposed a fine on Greece for introducing daylight saving time on Sunday.
“In this way, the representative office of the European Commission in Athens wanted to underline the need for all citizens to be cautious opposite the phenomenon of fake news and misinformation, particularly ahead of the public debate on the future of Europe ahead of Euro elections and the protection of democratic rights,” the Commission’s office said in a statement.
According to the leaked report, the country would face a fine of 17,650 euros for every hour that passed from 3 a.m. on Sunday, when clocks were turned forward to 4 a.m.
It said the fine would remain in place until clocks were turned back to their original time.
Last September the EC proposed ending the twice-a-year time changes which 80 percent of EU citizens reportedly oppose and last week the European Parliament voted to scrap them from 2021.
