 |
| The European Union supports consumers' right to reform |
The European Union has taken an important step and has laid a solid foundation for the right to reform. The European Parliament voted to take a historic step in support of consumers' right to reform.
The Sustainable Single Market Resolution was adopted by 395 votes, only 94 votes and 207 abstentions.
The vote is another big step towards the European Union's broader goals (extending the life of devices and reducing e-waste).
Earlier this year, the European Commission announced a new plan to implement a law on the right to repair cell phones, tablets and laptops by 2021.
After the European Parliament approved the original proposal of the European Commission, the ball is back in the Commission’s court.
The European Commission must now develop and introduce mandatory labels to provide consumers with clear, intuitive and easy-to-understand information about the estimated shelf life and repairability of products at the time of purchase.
The decision also includes increasing the availability of repair instructions and spare parts to independent repair shops and personnel to better facilitate repairs and extend the life of the equipment.
It will take time for the European Commission to formulate the actual rules and it is possible that in certain aspects (such as product classification) many questions will be answered about what these final rules look like.
From January, France will test the repairability of smartphones, laptops and other products, while Austria will cut taxes on repair services and subsidize repair costs for consumers.
The European Union proposal calls for reforms similar to the results of iFixit's efforts to find devices over the past 15 years.
According to a recent European Community survey, 77% of EU citizens prefer equipment repair rather than replacement. And 79% believe that manufacturers should be legally obligated to encourage digital device repair or replacement of individual parts.
This vote shows that the right to reform is backed by opinion polls and the European Parliament, and the European Commission must now build on this dynamic and act quickly.