MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on a common charger for mobile radio equipment

22.1.2020 - (2019/2983(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statements by the European Council and the Commission
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Kateřina Konečná, Manuel Bompard, Martin Schirdewan, Anja Hazekamp, Alexis Georgoulis, João Ferreira, Pernando Barrena Arza, Stelios Kouloglou, Marisa Matias, José Gusmão, Konstantinos Arvanitis, Younous Omarjee, Marc Botenga, Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Giorgos Georgiou, Niyazi Kizilyürek, Anne‑Sophie Pelletier
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0070/2020

B9‑0076/2020

European Parliament resolution on a common charger for mobile radio equipment

(2019/2983(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment and repealing Directive 1999/5/EC[1],

– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas for more than ten years Members of the European Parliament have been campaigning for a common charger for mobile radio equipment, including mobile phones, tablets, e-book readers, smart cameras, wearable electronics and other medium- or small-sized electronic devices;

B. whereas around 50 million tonnes of e-waste are generated globally every year, with an average of more than 6 kg per person; whereas total e-waste generation in Europe in 2016 stood at 12.3 million tonnes, corresponding to an average of 16.6 kg per person;

C. whereas attempts at voluntary inter-industry agreements have not succeeded and consumers are still obliged to buy new chargers with all new devices;

D. whereas corporations such as Apple have been actively lobbying against a delegated act to introduce a mandatory common charger;

E. whereas consumer trends over the past ten years show an increase in multi‑device ownership and even shorter life cycles of certain radio equipment (as in the case of smartphones); whereas older equipment is often replaced not when it is broken or obsolete but simply because it is seen as outdated;

F. whereas when travelling consumers are effectively forced to carry with them different chargers for similar devices, which causes an unnecessary environmental footprint;

G. whereas people now depend on their mobile devices in the event of an emergency, also because of the lack of public telephones; whereas they need a charged mobile phone to search for information or to use as a navigation device;

1. Underlines that there is an urgent need for EU action in order to reduce the amount of electronic waste and to empower consumers to make sustainable choices;

2. Notes that the corporate lobby has significantly influenced the inactivity of the Commission on this dossier;

3. Regrets that the Commission has until now prioritised the corporate interests of certain companies such as Apple over the interests of European consumers;

4. Emphasises the need for a standard for a common charger for mobile radio equipment to be adopted as a matter of urgency;

5. Calls on the Commission, therefore, to adopt without delay a delegated act supplementing Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment that would introduce the common charger;

6. Calls on the Commission to present without further delay the results of the impact assessment on the introduction of common chargers for mobile telephones and other compatible devices;

7. Calls on the Commission to present proposals to end the waste trade, which is particularly harmful for vulnerable people and the environment in third countries, and to support capacity-building to deal with our own waste within the EU;

8. Urges the Commission to ensure that consumers are no longer obliged to buy new chargers with each new device, thereby reducing the amount of cables and chargers produced per year;

9. Points out that the use of wireless charging technology offers additional potential benefits; therefore calls on the Commission to take measures to best ensure the interoperability of different wireless chargers with different mobile radio equipment;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

 

• [1] OJ L 153, 22.5.2014, p. 62