The European Parliament has voted on a new directive that will make it easier to repair damaged products. Among other things, the directive requires manufacturers to repair products, with or without a warranty.
The new directive “Right to repair: Making repair easier and more appealing to consumers” was adopted on Tuesday. It means that manufacturers will have to carry out repairs themselves and provide information to independent repairers and private individuals on how to repair products.
It covers products in categories that must be designed to be repairable under other EU rules, such as most white goods, but also mobile phones. The overall aim of the directive is to encourage more people to repair products and keep them in use, rather than throwing them away and buying new ones.
Among other things, this means that manufacturers cannot refuse to repair a product for economic reasons alone, for example if spare parts are expensive. Nor can they refuse to repair a product if it has already been repaired by the customer or another third party. The manufacturer must also accommodate repairs with or without a warranty on the product in question.
If a product requires special software or tools to be repaired, the Directive also requires manufacturers to make these available to the public.
The vote was 584 in favor, 3 against and 14 abstentions. The directive must now be approved by the Council of Europe, and member states will then have two years to implement the rules into their respective laws.
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