A Common Charger For Europe? EU Parliament Approves New Rules Negotiated By Maltese MEP
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved rules for a common mobile phone charger in Europe based on legislation that Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba negotiated.
The rules would mean that phone producers like Apple would need to conform to a single type of charger for all their phones in Europe… something that Apple itself has criticised.
“I’m satisfied that the resolution that I negotiated in the name of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament to have a common charger in the European Union for mobiles and small and medium-sized electronic apparatus was approved with a strong majority,” Agius Saliba said today.
Wireless charging was also seen as a potential benefit to reduce waste in the future – however, the Commission was urged to ensure that all wireless chargers were able to charge many different mobile devices.
The resolution passed with 582-40 votes. Prior to the law passing, some companies had voluntarily agreed to conform to one common charger, but not all had. Now, the EU Commission will have to adopt new rules by July 20th of this year.
“In this way, consumers will not have any reason to be forced to buy a new charger with every new mobile and minimise electronic waste,” Agius Saliba said.
The resolution calculated that 16.6 kilograms of electronic waste per EU inhabitant was estimated in 2016, amounting to 12.3 million tonnes.
Most iPhones used its lightning cable, while Android devices used USB-C. Apple said the industry was heading towards using USB-C, but said that forced conformity would “stifle innovation”.
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