The EU’s common-charger directive enters into force today, 27 December 2022. Its USB-C requirements begin later: 28 December 2024 for covered portable devices and 28 April 2026 for laptops.
Photo: European flags. © Håkan Dahlström, Spain, 2010 (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Resized and cropped.
The rules cover rechargeable radio equipment with wired charging: handheld phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems and earbuds. Wireless-only charging is outside this requirement. Cameras designed exclusively for the audiovisual sector or the security and surveillance sector are excluded. Earbuds are considered together with their charging case.
USB Power Delivery is required above 5 volts, 3 amps or 15 watts. Additional charging protocols must preserve its full functionality. Member states must adopt national measures by 28 December 2023.
The Council gave final approval on 24 October, following a June political agreement. Today’s legal commencement is a separate step from that decision and from the later product deadlines.
The Council says the change aims to reduce charger clutter and electronic waste. Packaging will show whether a charger is included, alongside charging-performance information.
Sellers offering covered equipment with a charger must also offer it without one. The directive does not ban charger bundles.
Sources: Directive 2022/2380; Council announcement.
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