In an own initiative report adopted by the very comfortable majority of 662 votes to 32, with 2 abstentions in plenary in Strasbourg on Tuesday 4 July, MEPs call on the Commission to bring forward stronger rules on the planned obsolescence of tangible goods and software to encourage product repair and re-use.
“In adopting this own initiative report by a wide majority, Parliament is positioning the EU for the first time on the issue of the lifespan in products and showing that there exists a consensus today that extends far beyond environmentalists”, said rapporteur Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA, France). He noted, however, that it had been difficult to bridge the divide between competitiveness and the environment.
This, then, is a first in the European Parliament. No amendments were made to the text that was adopted in the internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) committee (see EUROPE 11799). The rapporteur sought the broadest possible consensus by making numerous concessions, we have been told. The goal was, first and foremost, to send a strong signal to the European Commission. The political struggle will become tougher once the Commission has proposed an initiative, a Parliament insider told us.
MEPs, in short, are proposing a paradigm shift in the economy, with the focus more on the notion of usage – as opposed to ownership – and on the whole life cycle of tangible goods and software. They call on the Commission to define and ban planned obsolescence and to set minimum resistance criteria, guaranteeing product “robustness, reparability and upgradeability” and discouraging the “fixing-in” of essential components, such as batteries and LEDs. MEPs also want to improve information right from the time of purchase by, for example, encouraging manufacturers to provide maintenance manuals and repair instructions or by introducing a voluntary European label covering, in particular, durability.
The text was originally to be voted on in May but was postponed due to rather strong opposition from the EPP in the IMCO committee (see EUROPE 11720). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)