News

The right to repair in the European Union continues to advance

The European Union continues to take steps so that all citizens of the region have the right, and all possible facilities, to be able to repair their electronic devices for several years after purchasing them. To get it, EU legislators vote today, in plenary, if they pass a resolution on the right to repair to improve the laws that have already been approved. Many voices assure that the regulations on the right to repair already approved, which guarantee that the manufacturers of electrical appliances and other electronic devices for 10 years, have fallen short, and ask to improve them.

In the draft of the motion proposal, a survey is cited that ensures that 79% of the citizens of the European Union believe that manufacturers should facilitate repairs, and that 77% say that they would prefer a repair to a replacement. This survey is used as the basis for requesting access to components, repair information, and standardization between devices.

To achieve this, the motion calls for labeling to indicate the estimated repairability and lifetime of products. Also the facilities for its repair and access to parts, as well as an extension for the guarantee for defective products that goes beyond two years (in Spain it is already three years since last January 1). It also asks the European Commission «that always takes into account the highest possible level of consumer protection, as well as their well-being«.

As we have mentioned, the European Commission is no stranger to the right to repair movement. In fact, he began drafting reforms as early as early 2020 with the aim of getting manufacturers to improve their designs to promote repairability and longevity of their products. Since then, he has taken several steps to achieve it. In parallel, Apple was forced to publish scores indicating the repairability of its manufacturers in France last year, after the approval of rules that made it mandatory to show a repairability index on various types of home appliances and electronic devices.

The motion that is voted on today is one more step to improve what is already arranged on the right to repair in the EU. The text, in addition to access to components and the possibility of making repairsask for the legal guarantees of the products are extended. Meanwhile, legislation on improvements to achieve the right to repair continues to move towards final approval by the European Commission. Amendments to the Sales of Goods Directive intended to contain text to facilitate repairs are expected to be approved before the end of 2022. Other requirements on device design and batteries.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *