European Union officials have reached an agreement on the new rules requiring a uniform charging cord for smartphones and other devices. EU officials said that they have inked a provisional agreement on a “single charging solution” for the products sold in the 27-nation bloc. “Today we have made the common charger a reality in Europe!” said the European Parliament’s rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba in a press statement. “European consumers were frustrated long with multiple chargers piling up with every new device. Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics,” added Saliba. Here’s all about the new rules and why they mean trouble for Apple.
The legislation still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council later this year. However, this should be a smooth passage. The new rules will take effect by fall 2024.
The new legislation will force all future smartphones sold in the EU — including Apple’s iPhone — to come with the universal USB-C port for wired charging by fall 2024. Presently, Apple is the only major smartphone manufacturer to still use a proprietary port (lightning) instead of USB-C. In 2021, Apple sold 241 million iPhones globally, of these about 56 million were sold in Europe.
What EU has to say about ‘targeting’ Apple
Is the EU targeting Apple, during a press conference, Thierry Breton, commissioner for the EU’s internal market, said, “The rule applies to all and sundry. It’s not adopted against anybody.” However, EU is also clear that in two years’ time, if Apple wants to sell its products within its internal market they will have to abide by the rules, and their device will have to be USB-C.
As per EU, the revision is part of a broader effort to address product sustainability, in particular of electronics in the EU market, and to reduce electronic waste. The goal is said to be to avoid a new fragmentation in the market, to continue to reduce environmental waste, ensure consumer convenience and avoid so-called “lock-in” effects created by proprietary charging solutions. EU further says that the rules will encourage technological innovation, “As wireless charging technology becomes more prevalent, the European Commission will be empowered to develop so-called delegated acts, on the interoperability of charging solutions.”
