The European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday voted in favour of the regulation, which includes compatibility with “universal” chargers as one of the “essential requirements.” The directive passed with 550 votes in favour, with 12 against and 8 abstentions.
The regulation, which is still only a draft law and must be approved by Europe’s council of ministers, was drawn up to cut down on the amount of electronic waste.
According to the regulation, mobile phone and smartphone producers such as Samsung, Apple and Nokia will have to offer their European customers a standardised charger model by 2017.
“The modernised Radio Equipment Directive is an efficient tool to prevent interference between different radio equipment devices. I am especially pleased that we agreed on the introduction of a common charger”, said Barbara Weiler, a German socialist MEP said in a statement.
“This serves the interests both of consumers and the environment. It will put an end to charger clutter and 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually.”
“The current incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, digital cameras, music players is a nightmare and a real inconvenience for consumers. This new directive ends this nightmare and is also good news for the environment.”
Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner responsible for the bill, said “We must have a common charger for all mobile phones — all citizens are in favour of it.”
European smartphone manufacturers have also welcomed parliament’s vote, noting that a voluntary system of standardisation following the agreement among phone producers that expired in 2012, had already laid the groundwork for industry-wide standardisation.
Critics, however, feel this move will create a problem triggering red tape. “This is a backwards step because imposing a single charger stifles innovation, curbs research, and may impose extra costs on the consumer. The alternative and better action is to encourage diversity, competition and greater development,” said Paul Nuttall, Ukip’s deputy leader, who claimed the EU to be “hamstrung by the ideology of one-size-fits-all.”
