The European Parliament gave its final green light on Tuesday to the obligation of an identical charger for all smartphones, tablets and other consoles. The USB-C type port is to become the only charger for portable electronic devices sold in the EU by fall 2024.
“It’s a great day for consumers, a great day for our environment”, rejoiced, in the hemicycle of the European Parliament, Maltese Labor MEP Alex Agius Saliba, rapporteur for the text voted by 602 votes (13 votes against, 8 abstentions).
“This is the past!”, he had launched, during a debate a few hours earlier, waving a tangle of heterogeneous chargers, such as one finds in the drawers of most Europeans.
The EU as an example
This obligation will apply to mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, headphones, digital cameras, wireless headphones, portable video game consoles, GPS devices, computer keyboards and mice, as well than portable speakers. And this, regardless of their manufacturer. Laptops will also be affected from the beginning of 2026.
By its vote, the European Parliament validated the agreement reached at the beginning of June with the Member States, after a decade of attempts to try to impose this single charger, to the great displeasure of Apple, the main opponent of such pioneering legislation in the world.
“I am convinced that many countries will follow the example of the EU. We will be a leader,” said Bulgarian Andrey Kovachev, of the main political group EPP (right).
ats/jfe