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Brussels (AFP) – The countries of the European Union (EU) and the negotiators of the European Parliament announced this Tuesday an agreement to establish in the bloc a single and universal charger for smartphones, tablets and portable devices no later than autumn 2024.
The regulations will impose a USB-C port for all these devices with the aim of limiting the toxic waste of thousands and thousands of cables of various formats, and defending the right of consumers, forced for now to accumulate various chargers.
The project had faced fierce opposition from tech giant Apple, which defends its Lightning connection and charging technology.
The European Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Breton, welcomed the agreement and mentioned on Twitter that “the general interest of the European Union has prevailed.” The agreement means “more savings for EU consumers and less waste for the planet”.
“By fall 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU,” the European Parliament said in a tweet.
By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed today.
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) June 7, 2022
In a press release, the European Parliament noted that the project “is part of a broader effort by the EU to make products in the EU more sustainable, reduce electronic waste and make life easier for consumers.”
Thus, “consumers will no longer need a different device and charging cable every time they buy a new device, and will be able to use one charger for all their small and medium portable electronic devices,” the note added.
Parliament also highlighted that the charging speed will be “harmonized for devices that support fast charging, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger”.
Reduce about 11,000 tons of electronic waste annually
Conservative Bulgarian Eurolegislator Andrey Kovatchev, one of the main negotiators of the agreement, pointed out that “this new regulation will make life easier for European consumers and will also be better for the environment.”
“The time has come to put an end to the bundles of cables that we all have in our drawers, and reduce some 11,000 tons of electronic waste a year,” he said.
According to the EU, European consumers spend a total of around 2.4 billion euros (about 2.8 billion dollars) annually on cables and adapters to charge their mobile devices.
In 2009 the European Commission promoted a voluntary adoption agreement with the industry to reduce the enormous cost of cables, but failed to convince Apple to join. The firm alleges that the adoption of a single charger is a brake on innovation.
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