Broken iPhone / Photo manipulation, Shutterstock
Following the success in implementing a uniform charging standard for electronic devices and opening Apple devices to installations from third-party stores, the European Union is taking another step towards a sustainable era.
As part of a new legislative procedure, manufacturers will be required to extend the warranty on repaired products for an additional 12 months.
According to the agreement, consumers will have the option to choose between repair and replacement of defective products, within a minimum warranty period of two years, which can be extended according to the decision of the member states.
"If the consumer chooses a repair, the seller's warranty period will be extended by an additional 12 months from the moment the product is repaired," the Council of Europe said in a statement on Friday.
The 12-month warranty extension is part of a temporary agreement between the European Parliament and the Council to implement the "right to correction" directive approved in March 2023. The agreement still needs official approval, and will enter into force 20 days after its publication.
In addition, the regulations will require the availability of spare parts at reasonable prices and prohibit product manufacturers from using "contractual, hardware or software-related obstacles to repair", such as limiting the use of used or compatible spare parts by independent laboratories.
"After its approval, the new regulations will introduce a new 'right to repair' for consumers, both within the framework of the legal warranty and beyond it, which will make the repair of products profitable and thus encourage sustainable consumption," they said in the European Union.
More on the same topic:
iPhone
Smartphone
Fix