Brussels, 19/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - A provisional agreement on a common charger for all mobile phones within three years was reached between the European Parliament and Council on Thursday 19 December, under the Lithuanian Presidency.
Adapting mobile phones to work with a common battery charger will bring about a reduction in waste and costs. This agreement on revising the directive on radio equipment so as to harmonise national legislation for placing radio equipment on the market is a “Christmas present”, according to rapporteur Barbara Weiler (S&D, Germany) - although the European Commission and Council seemed to hesitate on this.
The member states will have two years to transpose the new legislation, and manufacturers will have one year to comply. The agreement also provides for strengthened surveillance of the radio equipment market in order to track and monitor products (such as modems and radios) which do not comply with European rules - thanks to a new database drawn up by the member states. A similar database is already operational in the USA. The European Commission will thus identify equipment which will need to be registered before it can be put on the market.
The agreement will soon be endorsed by Coreper, and probably by the European Parliament's internal market committee in March. (MD/transl.fl)