(CNN Business) -
The European Union proposed new rules Thursday that will make USB-C ports standard on smartphones, tablets, cameras, speakers, headphones, and portable video game systems.
The move is a setback for Apple, which uses its own "Lightning" port on the iPhone.
While the new rules are years away from going into effect, Apple could be forced to make changes to its flagship product.
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"European consumers have already experienced enough frustration with incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers. We have given the industry ample time to come up with its own solutions; now is the time for legislative action in favor of a common charger", Executive Vice President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
"This is a major success for our consumers and the environment, and is in line with our green and digital ambitions," he added.
EU citizens own an average of three mobile phone chargers, according to the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm.
But 38% of consumers have not been able to charge their phone on at least one occasion because they did not have the correct charger on hand.
Approximately US $ 2.8 billion (2.4 billion euros) is spent annually on loose chargers that are not sold together with your electronic devices, according to the Commission.
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European officials have lobbied the tech industry to standardize chargers for more than a decade.
In that time, the number of mobile phone charging ports on the market has dropped from 30 to three.
Apple said it will continue to "engage with stakeholders to help find a solution that protects consumer interests."
"We remain concerned that strict regulation requiring only one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encourages it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world," the company added in a statement.
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