MEPs adopted by a very large majority (582 votes to 40 with 37 abstentions) on Thursday 30 January a joint resolution (all political groups except ID) urging the European Commission to come up with binding measures by July to bring a universal charger for mobile phones and other mobile devices onto the market.
To this end, they call on the Commission to present and publish as soon as possible the impact assessment on the marketing of universal chargers with an objective of proposing mandatory provisions. Then, depending on the diagnosis, two proposals are put forward by the MEPs: either the Commission adopts a delegated act, which has been awaited for 10 years (see EUROPE 12403/16), to complete Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment, or it proposes a new “legislative provision”.
The universal charger is one aspect. But in order to reduce the amount of waste generated, MEPs suggest adopting a “decoupling” strategy: so that consumers are not forced to buy new chargers every time they buy a new device. They also expect a lot from non-wireless recharging.
The presentation of the study would be imminent: the Commission is expected to present the study at the end of January or early February, we are told. As for the MEPs' request, the institution has taken the lead and has already included a new legislative initiative in its 2020 work programme on the issue (see EUROPE 12414/4). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)