Get our free email newsletter

EU Parliament, Council Approve Adoption of Common Charger Technology

The European Union (EU) government has taken the next step in efforts to require the use of a single charging technology for most types of electronic equipment marketed or sold in the EU.

According to a press release, the EU Parliament and the EU Council have reached a provisional political agreement to amend the EU’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED) to harmonize charging technologies around the universal use of the USB-C interface. The agreement follows the terms of the amendment as originally proposed by the EU Commission in September 2021.

The provisional agreement reached by the Parliament and Council must now be formally approved by both branches of government, which is expected sometime this fall. Following publication of the final agreement in the Official Journal of the European Union, device manufacturers are then expected to be granted a transition period of 24 months, after which newly introduced electrical and electronic devices must adopt the harmonized charging technology.

- Partner Content -

A Dash of Maxwell’s: A Maxwell’s Equations Primer – Part One

Solving Maxwell’s Equations for real-life situations, like predicting the RF emissions from a cell tower, requires more mathematical horsepower than any individual mind can muster. These equations don’t give the scientist or engineer just insight, they are literally the answer to everything RF.

The move to harmonize device charging technologies is part of the EU’s overall effort to reduce consumer inconvenience and electronic waste created by the use of different and incompatible charging technologies for electronic devices. The EU Commission estimates that disposed chargers constitute more than 11,000 metric tons of e-waste every year.

Read the EU Parliament’s press release on the provisional agreement with the Council regarding the adoption of a single charging technology across the EU.

Related Articles

Digital Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

Discover new products, review technical whitepapers, read the latest compliance news, trending engineering news, and weekly recall alerts.

Get our email updates

What's New

- From Our Sponsors -

Sign up for the In Compliance Email Newsletter

Discover new products, review technical whitepapers, read the latest compliance news, trending engineering news, and weekly recall alerts.