For years, the European Parliament has been working to harmonize the charging technologies of various mobile phones and portable electronic devices, and following today’s decision, by the end of 2024, all manufacturers must equip their new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable consoles and speakers, e-book readers, keyboards, mice, navigation systems and laptops. The latter will be granted a reprieve until autumn 2026. The European Parliament is also developing the unification of wireless charging standards by 2024. Here is the official European-language press release of today’s decision:
By 2024, chargers for mobile devices will finally be uniform
The Parliament has decided: we will soon be able to use the same unified charger for all electronic devices.
By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras sold in the European Union must be equipped with a USB Type-C port. This obligation will also extend to laptops by the fall of 2026. The new legislation, which was adopted on Tuesday with 602 votes, 13 against and eight abstentions, also serves broader EU aspirations: the EU wants to achieve less waste from electrical and electronic equipment, and consumers to be able to choose products from the range based on sustainability.
The legislation will ensure that consumers do not have to buy a new charger every time they replace their portable electronic devices, or that a single charger will suffice for all their devices.
Regardless of the manufacturer, the new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and earphones, portable game consoles, speakers, e-book readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation devices with a power of up to 100 W and which can be charged by cable will be equipped with the same USB type C port. systems and laptops.
All devices that support fast charging will have the same charging speed, so users will be able to charge their devices just as quickly with any compatible charger.
Encouragement of technological innovations
As wireless charging starts to take off, the European Commission is harmonizing the requirements for the interoperability of technologies by 2024 to prevent possible negative consequences for consumers and the environment. At the same time, the Commission also wants to avoid that consumers are chained to the products of a single manufacturer in the future because of the technology they have already purchased.
More choice, better information
Charging characteristics will have to be indicated to consumers on a separate product label so that they can more easily determine whether their existing chargers are compatible with the new device. With the information provided, they will be able to decide whether they need to buy a new charger for a specific product or not.
More people will continue to use their existing chargers. By avoiding unnecessary charger changes, customers can save up to 250 million euros per year. Not to mention that around 11,000 tons of electronic waste is generated in the European Union every year from used or replaced chargers, the amount of which will thus decrease.
According to the reporter
“We waited more than ten years for these new rules, but the age of thousands of chargers is now finally a thing of the past. The legislation also thought about the future, so the spread of innovative charging solutions will not cause any problems. Everyone benefits: from annoying customers to vulnerable environments. This is a difficult time in politics, but the Union has proven that it has ideas on how to improve the living conditions of millions of Europeans and be an inspiration to the whole world,” said Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, Malta).
The reporter will hold a press conference on Tuesday, from 2:30 p.m., about the voting result and the next steps. More information (in English)
The European speaker of the Tuesday debate
Edina Tóth (independent)
The next steps
The directive must now be officially adopted by the Council, the rule can then appear in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force on the twentieth day after its publication. Member States have twelve months to transpose the provisions of the directive and another twelve months to apply the rules. Products placed on the market before the start date of the application are not yet covered by the obligations contained in the directive.
Background
In the past decade, the Parliament has repeatedly called for the unification of chargers. Despite previous discussions with manufacturers, the voluntary steps did not bring any real change for consumers and did not significantly reduce the number of mobile chargers. Therefore, the Commission finally presented a legislative proposal for the regulation on September 23, 2021.
