After the negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement, the EU's common charger goal has been one step closer. By the autumn of 2024, all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices sold in the EU, including mobile phones, tablets and wireless headphones with batteries, must be equipped with a usb-c charging port.
Another 12 electronic product groups, including e-readers, portable game consoles and cameras, will also have the obligation to share common charging standards in the EU region. Notebook computers must comply with the new regulations within 40 months (3.3 years) after they enter into force.
The newly formed legal text is part of the EU's goal to make the electronic products sold in Member States more sustainable, reduce e-waste, and help consumers carry a single charger for all their devices. This legislation still needs to be voted by the European Parliament and the Council. The voting is scheduled to take place later this year. All indications show that the vast majority of people will vote for the common charging standard. The new law also seeks to unify the fast charging standards of various devices and consider adopting the same approach to wireless charging standards in the future.
Today, we have made the unified charger interface a reality in Europe! For a long time, European consumers have been frustrated by the accumulation of multiple chargers for each new device. Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics.
- Alex Agius Saliba (MEP)
According to the press release of the European Parliament, EU consumers spend a total of 250million euros on chargers every year. At the same time, the unused charger bundled with the equipment generates about 11000 tons of e-waste every year.
All major smartphone manufacturers have now transitioned to usb-c, and Apple 's iphone The lighting port, which has remained unchanged for many years, can be confirmed that time is running out. Theoretically, if Apple does not intend to compromise with the EU, it can avoid adding a usb-c interface to its mobile phone by removing the charging port and completely switching to wireless charging. However, according to recent rumors, the company has tested usb-c on its next-generation iPhone.
Learn more: