The new law which will come in to effect in late 2024 will also apply to other electronic devices including tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld video game consoles, and e-readers. Laptops will also be covered by the law but at a later date.
“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.”
According to the EU the legislation could save consumers 250 million euros per year on “unnecessary charger purchases” and cut down on around 11,000 tonnes of e-waste annually.
The legislation, which has been under development for more than a decade, is likely to have the biggest impact on Apple, who still use a proprietary port – the Lightning port - for the iPhone instead of USB-C. Last year, Apple sold 56 million iPhones in Europe, nearly a quarter of its global sales of the device.
Thierry Breton, commissioner for the EU’s internal market, told a press conference that the ruling was not designed to target Apple specifically.
“The rule applies to all and sundry. It’s not adopted against anybody,” said Breton. “We’re working for the consumers, not the companies, and we have to give these companies rules; rules that are clear in order to enter the internal market.”
The legislation needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council later this year and will go into effect “by autumn 2024,” the EU said in a statement.
While the law covers the use of USB-C for wired charging, it also includes provisions designed to address wireless chargers in the future.