Rapporteur Alex Saliba (S&D, Malta) and the shadow rapporteurs argued for a broadening of the scope of the directive on common chargers to include more electronic devices, during a first debate on the legislative proposal in the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) on Wednesday 1 December.
While welcoming the objectives of the legislative proposal (see EUROPE 12797/1), the rapporteur criticised the list proposed by the European Commission to determine the products covered by the USB-C port in the directive. In his view, the approach should be made more flexible by focusing on the energy needs of electronic devices instead of designating them by category.
This view was shared by most of the shadow rapporteurs. Andrey Kovachev (EPP, Bulgaria) and Liesje Schreinemacher (Renew Europe, Netherlands) called for the inclusion of laptops and headphones. Evžen Tošenovský (ECR, Czechia) warned against the risk of stifling innovation by imposing excessively rigid rules.
Mr Saliba also expressed concern about the issue of wireless charging. He questioned the European Commission’s reasons for not acting on this issue, as manufacturers are converging on the QI standard. Here too, the shadow rapporteurs agreed, including Kateřina Konečná (The Left, Czechia) and Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, Germany).
The shadow rapporteurs also agreed on the proposal to decouple the sale of chargers from the sale of devices, although several pointed out some of the risks involved. The need to communicate clearly to the consumer the energy requirements of the device was highlighted by the rapporteur, without which the consumer may, to be safe, automatically opt for the purchase of an electronic device with the charger.
In general, the MEPs negotiating on behalf of their political groups were concerned about the lack of flexibility in the European Commission’s proposal, particularly in terms of keeping up with technological developments and market innovations. It took more than 10 years for the European Commission to come up with a legislative proposal, they noted.
Response from the European Commission
The European Commission defended its proposal by stating that it wanted primarily to cover products with similar charging and energy needs. The environment in which the device is operating, including the humidity level, must also be taken into account, it added. Its representative assured that the European Commission would follow technological developments and update the text via delegated acts. However, he acknowledged that clarification was needed on the scope, particularly in relation to digital cameras.
As for wireless technology, there are two problems, the EU institution said. Firstly, in its view, the technology is not mature enough, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, to designate a particular standard. Moreover, the market is not sufficiently fragmented to act.
The vote in the IMCO committee is scheduled for the end of April 2022. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)