Common charger for mobile radio equipment (debate)
Łukasz Kohut (S&D), in writing. – We have been talking in the EU about one common standard for chargers for all mobile devices for over a decade now. The voluntary agreement adopted by producers of electronic equipment back in 2009 has proven insufficient, with tech giants like Apple applying their own standards in this area. What is more, Europeans have been facing a situation in which they are forced to acquire different chargers for the different electronic devices they use. What is more, they are forced to buy a charger with every new item of equipment, even if they already have one which is compatible with that equipment. And that means higher prices. Additionally, different standards for chargers result in the pile of electronic waste growing – currently it is 16 kilograms per year for each European. For the sake of consumer rights as well as out of ecological concerns we cannot tolerate this situation any longer. It is time the European Commission proposed a standard for a common charger, which would be obligatory for all producers of electronic devices. Consumers must also be given the right to purchase new electronic devices without chargers if they wish so.