With 584 votes in favour, 3 against and 14 abstentions, the European Parliament approved the new rules on the right to repair. Before becoming law, the directive must first be approved by the Council of the European Unionafter which member countries will have two years to integrate it into their legislative system?
The rule aims to simplify and make the repair of electronic devices easier and more convenientfrom mobile ones to large household appliances, in order to reduce the production of technological waste and contribute to the fight against climate change.
What would change if it were definitively approved? Essentially, consumers will be guaranteed the ability to repair their deviceat the manufacturer or an authorized center, even outside the warranty period.
This means first of all that the manufacturer must guarantee the availability of spare parts to the consumer even after the expiry of 24 months. You will not be able to appeal to contractual clauses, technical problems or other impediments. Furthermore, you will also be obliged to guarantee the repair service where the device has already been repaired previously by third parties.
Regarding prices, the rule establishes that companies will have to apply “reasonable prices” making the repair more attractive than purchasing a new product. Furthermore, states will have to adopt at least one measure that incentivizes consumers to prefer repairs. In any case, within the 24 months of warranty, consumers will be able to continue to choose between replacing or repairing the product, but in the latter case coverage will be extended for another 12 months.
The approval of the rule satisfied the collective Right to Repair Europe, an association of more than 100 organizations from 21 countries. However, some critical issues have already been identified which, it is hoped, can be addressed in more depth.
The first is clearly the question of prices, since the law speaks of “reasonable prices”, without providing further details on the matter. The collective fears that companies can call into question so-called “legitimate and objective factors” to refuse the repair.
Furthermore, the rule does not concern the industrial sector, but only consumer electronics which currently already enjoy various guarantees. For example, in the case of household appliances, there is already a law that obliges manufacturers to make them repairable at least 5 years after purchase.
However, the list of devices can be expanded later e this is an excellent starting point for combating planned obsolescence. Of course there is still a lot of work to do, but the commitment in Europe, as well as in the United States, seems to be solid.
