diff --git a/.github/workflows/debuild.yml b/.github/workflows/debuild.yml
index 39d91223..dce825ca 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/debuild.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/debuild.yml
@@ -36,10 +36,6 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get update
       - name: update repo information
         run: sudo apt-get update
-      - name: install tzdata
-        run: |
-          sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive TZ="Europe/Berlin" \
-              apt-get -y install tzdata
       - name: install devscripts
         run: sudo apt-get install equivs devscripts pipx hub
       - name: install dependencies
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 11114bd7..fe181a67 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ include /usr/share/dpkg/pkg-info.mk
 # Debian flags invented usage of LTO, which in combination with google test on
 # Ubuntu 22.04.4 causes the errors supressed below
 export CXXFLAGS += -Wno-lto-type-mismatch -Wno-odr
+# Needed for TEST(mock_MeterOMS, first_packets)
+export TZ="Europe/Berlin"
 
 VERSION1=$(shell echo ${DEB_VERSION_UPSTREAM} | cut -f1 -d.)
 VERSION2=$(shell echo ${DEB_VERSION_UPSTREAM} | cut -f2 -d.)