A year and a half ago the European Comission proposed updating the European directive on radio equipment with the aim of imposing a single universal charger that is valid for all portable electronic devices and thus avoid the annual waste that causes 11,000 million tons of waste of this type to end up in the garbage. This Wednesday the ambassadors of the Twenty-seven have managed to close a common position on a mandate which will allow the half-yearly presidency of the EU, held by France, to launch the final interinstitutional negotiation with the European Parliament.
The legislative proposal aims to harmonize the port of entry so that the USB-Cused in all phones that use the Android system, become the standard input for all devices, from smartphones to digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers or game consoles. In this way, everyone will be able to recharge using the same charger and it will not be necessary to buy a new one when buying a new device, which will increase the convenience of consumers, according to the Council.
The new legislation will also allow the sale of chargers to be dissociated from the sale of electronic devices, which will mean that the purchase of a new device does not necessarily include that of a new charger. This, as explained by the EU, will allow reduce electronic waste linked to the production, transportation and disposal of chargers. To improve consumer information, the Council has added an annex to the proposal containing a pictogram that indicates whether a charging device is offered with the device, as well as a label which specifies the load specifications.
long battle
The idea of using a single charger for all devices is not new. It had been on the table for more than a decade until the European Commission decided to legislate last year after verifying that, although the number of chargers had been reduced from 30 to 3, the advances and commitments of the industry were insufficient. “Voluntary agreements between industry players have only been successful up to a point. Although they have made it possible to go from 30 different connectors to 3, they have not provided a single charger solution” and “there are currently no voluntary commitments or binding requirements on chargers or common charging interfaces for mobile phones or other similar portable devices & rdquor ;, warns the rapporteur of the European Parliament report, the Maltese socialist Alex Agius.
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Precisely, a study presented in June of last year pointed out that 44% of mobile phones sold in 2019 in the EU had a USB-C connector compared to 38% with USB Micro-B and 18% from Apple. According to this same analysis, without any regulatory intervention, the USB-C connectors would not replace the B until 2026 while the share of the entry of Apple, which considers that the proposal will freeze innovation and force consumers to acquire adapters, will be would keep the same.
With the negotiating mandate approved, it will be the presidency of the EU, held by France until the end of June, that will be responsible for negotiating a pact with the European Parliament that Brussels aspires to be of application from 2024. The rapporteur of the European Parliament considers that the proposal should go beyond small devices and also cover other categories or classes of small and medium-sized portable radio equipment. In addition, it advocates the introduction of minimum requirements for wireless charging, ensuring the effective unbundling of charger sales, improving consumer information, improving the harmonization of fast charging technology, strengthening market surveillance provisions and shortening the period prior to the entry into force of the requirements.