Directive 2022/2380 - Amendment of Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 315/30

One of the objectives of Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) is to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market. Pursuant to Article 3(3), point (a), of that Directive, one of the essential requirements that radio equipment is to comply with is that it interworks with accessories, in particular with common chargers. In that respect, Directive 2014/53/EU indicates that interoperability between radio equipment and accessories such as chargers simplifies the use of radio equipment and reduces unnecessary waste and costs and that developing a common charger for particular categories or classes of radio equipment is necessary, in particular for the benefit of consumers and other end-users.

Since 2009, efforts have been made at Union level to limit the fragmentation of the market for charging interfaces for mobile phones and similar items of radio equipment. Although recent voluntary initiatives have increased the level of convergence of charging devices, which are the external power supply part of chargers, and decreased the number of different charging solutions available on the market, those initiatives do not fully meet the Union policy objectives of ensuring consumer convenience, reducing electronic waste (e-waste) and avoiding fragmentation of the market for charging devices.

The Union is committed to boosting the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy through the introduction of initiatives such as Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) and more recently through the introduction of the European Green Deal, as set out by the Commission in its communication of 11 December 2019. This Directive is aimed at reducing the e-waste generated by the sale of radio equipment, and at reducing the extraction of raw materials and the CO2 emissions generated by the production, transportation and disposal of chargers, thereby promoting a circular economy.

The Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan, set out in its communication of 11 March 2020, provided for initiatives throughout the entire life cycle of products, targeting their design, promoting circular economy processes, fostering sustainable consumption, and aiming to ensure that the resources used are kept in the Union economy for as long as possible.

The Commission completed an impact assessment, which has shown that the internal market is not exploiting its full potential as continuing fragmentation of the market for charging interfaces and charging communication protocols for mobile phones and other similar radio equipment is resulting in a lack of consumer convenience and an increase in e-waste.

Interoperability between radio equipment and accessories, such as chargers, is hampered as there are different charging interfaces for certain categories or classes of radio equipment that use wired charging, such as handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones or headsets, handheld...