Mobile phones and numerous other electronic devices must have a standard charging socket in the EU from mid-2024. Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament agreed on USB-C as the standard charging socket, as the head of the negotiations, Anna Cavazzini (Greens), said on Tuesday.
In the future, the USB-C standard will be the specification for all charging cables in the European Union. Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament agreed on Tuesday on a uniform guideline for electronic devices in the EU. It is still unclear which devices, in addition to mobile phones, should be specifically affected. The agreement means that standardized charging cables will become a reality in the EU in mid-2024.
In addition to the question of which devices should be covered by the new regulation, there are other points of contention between Parliament and EU countries. For example, there is still a struggle about which exact requirements should apply in the future for the separate sale of devices and cables and whether a standard for wireless charging should also be agreed.
Legal requirements for charging cables – more precisely charging sockets – have been the subject of debate for a long time. More than ten years ago, the commission brought the charging cable issue up for the first time. 14 manufacturers – including Apple – have agreed to a uniform standard for mobile phone power supplies in a voluntary commitment. When it comes to the sockets in smartphones and tablet computers, three of what used to be several dozen types remain: USB-C, Apple’s Lightning connector and micro-USB. Criticism of the standardization arose in advance, especially from Apple with its own Lightning standard.
According to the EU Commission, the regulation could save almost 1000 tons of electronic waste. Currently, an estimated 11,000 tons of electronic waste is generated annually from discarded and unused chargers. However, critics fear that the EU approach could come to nothing, since old chargers can no longer be used and USB-C has become increasingly established as the standard for electronic devices in the past.
The party’s vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson has failed. In the end, only 148 MPs voted against Johnson, with 211 voting to continue to have faith in Johnson. This means that he can retain the party leadership and subsequently also the office of prime minister.
Gunhilde Köhler is 74 years old, retired and has now sued the federal government. The reason: the 300 euros energy flat rate that all employees get – but not pensioners.
The rising prices are becoming more and more noticeable and are leaving their mark accordingly. In April, the strongest sales slump ever measured was recorded in the food trade. The trade assumes that low-income people in particular can afford less.
