31/03/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Union regulation on external power supplies (2019/1782) will enter into force on 1 April. By establishing ecodesign requirements for placing external power supplies on the market or putting them in service, these new rules aim to make a range of electrical and electronic household appliances and office equipment (laptops, electric toothbrushes, etc.) more energy efficient. According to the European Commission, this is expected to enable the EU to achieve electricity savings of more than 4 TWh per year by 2030 and thus avoid greenhouse gas emissions of more than 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. The regulation on external power supplies is part of a package of measures that was adopted by the European Commission on 1 October 2019 (see EUROPE 12339/15). (DG)