STORMONT officials may back EU plans to scrap daylight saving time, according to details of government emails.
Concerns have been raised that Northern Ireland could find itself in a different time zone from the Republic for six months of the year following Brexit.
The European Commission set out proposals earlier this year for an end to daylight saving time.
Member states were asked to decide by April whether to stick with summer time from October 2019 or to make a final change then, before staying permanently on winter hours.
A majority of states are in favour of ending daylight saving time, although the British government is strongly opposed to the change.
However, emails released under the Freedom of Information Act show Stormont departments are likely to support an end to the biannual clock change - bringing the north into line with mainland Europe.
The emails reveal that Britain's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was in touch with senior officials in Stormont's Department for the Economy (DfE) over the issue within days of the announcement by commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
According to the Daily Mail, one DfE official in Belfast wrote to a colleague: "My impression... is that officials' advice is likely to be in favour of adopting British Summer Time all year".
The British government has insisted it is working to stop any change.
Asked about the comment, a UK government spokesman said: "Ministers are actively working to convince other member states to block this proposal."
Business minister Lord Henley has repeatedly voiced the UK's opposition to the proposed change, sending several letters to his counterparts in other EU states setting out London's concerns.
The UK was among three EU states - alongside Portugal and Greece - to speak out strongly against changing seasonal clock adjustments at a meeting of EU transport ministers in October.
A further six countries did not take a stance, with the remaining 19 in favour of ending daylight saving.
