As the European Commissioner Thierry Breton said on 7 June during a press event, “It is a great day for consumers and the environment”.
Indeed, ANEC could not put it better. We applaud the final agreement on the common charger for mobile phones and other devices (revised Radio Equipment Directive) reached among the European Parliament, Council and Commission. Moreover, the agreement reflects ANEC’s position on common chargers, one we have been urging since 2009. The USB Type-C port will be mandatory for portable devices, and harmonisation of wireless charging will be achieved in the future.
The EU institutions enlarged the scope of the European Commission proposal to include handheld videogame consoles, keyboards, portable speakers, portable navigations, digital cameras, tablets and earbuds. Laptops will also have to be adapted to the requirements by 40 months after the entry into force of the revised Directive. The agreement also includes the provision of clear information and labelling on new devices about charging options, as well as whether a product includes a charger, following requirements on “unbundling”. In the future, after an assessment by the Commission, unbundling could become the default.
A further goal of the agreement is to avoid a new fragmentation in the market by requesting the European Standardization Organisations to draft Harmonized Standards on wireless charging.
The revised Directive will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, and its provisions will start to apply after 24 months.
For more information, please contact Marijana ANTOROROVA
