Bridging the US and Europe is one of the most common scheduling challenges in global business. The gap ranges from 5 hours (New York–London) to 9 hours (Los Angeles–Warsaw). This leaves a narrow window for comfortable overlap — and it gets even trickier around DST transitions, when the US and EU change clocks on different dates.
The Overlap Windows
The clearest window for US East Coast and Western Europe (UK, France, Germany, Spain): 9 AM–12 PM ET / 2 PM–5 PM CET. Both sides are in their working day. Mornings ET (7–9 AM) stretch the window further but push into lunch in Europe.
For the US West Coast and Central Europe, the window shrinks to almost nothing. 9 AM PT = 6 PM CET — at or past the end of the European workday. The only realistic options are early morning PT (7–8 AM) or accepting that someone is outside normal hours. For recurring calls, mornings PT are preferable to evenings CET.
Around DST Transitions
The US and EU change clocks on different dates — the US changes roughly 2–3 weeks before Europe in spring, and 1 week after Europe in fall. During these brief windows, the US–Europe gap shifts by one hour. A standing weekly call at '9 AM ET / 3 PM CET' will suddenly run at '9 AM ET / 2 PM CET' for a few weeks each spring, and '9 AM ET / 2 PM CET' for a week each fall.
Use UTC for standing calendar invites on international calls to avoid confusion during DST transitions, and double-check meeting times whenever clocks change in either region.
Tips for US–Europe Calls
Favor mornings in the US; avoid end-of-day Europe. Send an agenda in advance so European colleagues can prepare without staying late to read materials. Record meetings for team members who join asynchronously, and circulate decisions within the hour so European colleagues don't wait overnight for follow-up.
