The proposed EU law would require vehicle manufacturers to provide repairs for up to 10 years.

Manufacturers of numerous product categories, including televisions, vacuum cleaners, smartphones and tablets, may be required to allow repairs to be made to their products for up to 10 years after purchase, depending on the type of device. The European Commission on Wednesday announced a proposal it has adopted that would introduce long-term repair requirements for electronics manufacturers if approved by the European Parliament and the Council .

The regulation will apply to any device with repairability requirements in the EU, including vacuum cleaners, washer dryers, welding equipment, servers and storage devices. The EU is currently developing requirements for the right to repair smartphones and tablets.

The EU already requires suppliers to repair or replace products free of charge within two years of purchase if a product is defective. The new regulation will require companies to provide a free repair (instead of replacing a product) if it costs the same or less than replacing it.

In addition, the proposed legislation would require vendors to perform repairs for a minimum of five to ten years, depending on the device type, after purchase. TV manufacturers, for example, will have to make repairs for at least seven years after purchase, while washing machine and dryer manufacturers will be on the hook for 10 years. The EU is currently mulling over proposals that would require smartphone and tablet makers to undergo repairs for up to five years under a law proposed this Wednesday.

The regulation does not require suppliers to carry out repairs during this period if it is “impossible,”for example, if “the repair is technically impossible,”the commission explained on the Q&A page.

According to the commission’s estimates, over 15 years this regulation will save 18.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, 1.8 million tons of resources and 3 million tons of waste. Meanwhile, by the Commission’s standards, EU consumers would save 176.5 billion euros (about $192.3 billion) and “sellers and producers”would save about 15.6 billion euros (about $16.3 billion).

Making renovations more attractive

One of the factors behind the proposal is the development of the repair sector, which the commission says will see job growth if the ruling is passed. However, he did not provide a new estimate for the number of jobs.

The commission’s statement on Wednesday said:

Over the past decades, replacement has often been favored over repair when products fail and there is not enough incentive for consumers to repair their products after the legal warranty has expired. This proposal will make it easier and cheaper for consumers to repair rather than replace a product.

The proposal also aims for European Union member states to create “an online partner-finding platform to connect consumers with repairers and refurbished sellers in their area.”It also requires companies to openly inform customers of their repair obligations and services, including providing repair prices and time estimates upon request.

The commission wants to establish a “European quality standard for repair services”to help consumers find “higher quality”repair shops. The standard will be “open to all repairers in the EU who wish to meet minimum quality standards, for example depending on the duration or availability of products.”

Current debate

The European Right to Repair Coalition released a statement on Wednesday arguing that the commission’s proposal “does not take into account the cost of repairs”and does not do enough to empower independent repair shops. He pushed for legislation to guarantee the use of third-party and used replacement parts and universal access to low-cost replacement parts, repair manuals and diagnostic tools, as well as financial incentives to lower repair prices.

The coalition believes that suppliers must repair devices within two years of purchase, regardless of whether it is cheaper for the supplier to replace the item. He also wants the offer to cover more product categories.

The commission has acknowledged that consumers are sometimes put off by repair costs and says its proposal is partly aimed at making repairs a more attractive option for consumers with broken gadgets. But instead of imposing rules on things like spare parts and prices, it’s banking on equipment manufacturers creating more maintainable designs to comply with the Ecodesign Directive.

During yesterday’s press conference, reported by TechCrunch, Didier Reynders, one of the justice commission’s commissioners, pointed out the importance of maintainable structures to reduce repair costs.

“It means that it is really possible to significantly reduce the cost of repairs. .. Because often – for example, in the sound sector, audio equipment, it is impossible to open the device – you cannot get inside it yourself. So the ecodesign approach should simplify things.”

Despite the commission’s claims that its proposal could help local repair shops, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, CEO of DigitalEurope, a technology trade group, hinted at the industry’s reluctance to give up some control over the repair of purchased gadgets.

“It is critical that the new structure prioritize consumer safety and recognize the importance of established manufacturer-led repair networks that offer consumers easy access to safe and efficient repair solutions,” she said, according to the group’s Twitter page.

The commission has already faced objections to proposed repairability requirements for smartphones and tablets, and DigitalEurope told the Financial Times in August that “potential overproduction, subsequent stockpiling and destruction of spare parts”would push smartphone prices up to customers if the law goes into effect. Effect.

However, others argue that the latter offer is not enough to qualify for repairs in Europe.

In addition to the aforementioned concerns, the European Right to Repair group lamented that the potential law does not ban all “anti-repair practices”such as repairs requiring remote OEM authorization, a tactic for which Apple in the US and Europe self-repairs the program has been criticized.