Det eneste svar fra Kommissionen og Rådet i den foreliggende fælles holdning var en klar afvisning af Parlamentets synspunkter, der var kommet til udtryk i tre ændringsforslag, særlig dem, hvori subsidiaritetsprincippet var påberåbt, idet de to institutioner motiverede denne holdning med, at vedtagelsen af disse ændringsforslag ikke ville have gjort indførelsen af sommertiden som sådan obligatorisk, og at forslagene stred imod det harmoniseringsformål, som er grundlæggende for direktivet.
In their common position the Commission and the Council demonstrated, for all response, that their minds were firmly closed to Parliament's position as set out in its three amendments, in particular those relating to the principle of subsidiarity, basing this approach on the fact that acceptance of such amendments would not have made the application of a system of summer-time compulsory as such, and on the fact that they were considered contrary to the aim of harmonization, which is the fundamental purpose of the directive.