The European Commission will take the initiative next September, presenting legislation in order to standardize the type of mobile phone chargers in the community space. More specifically, with the aim of adopting a common charger / adapter.
The legislative proposal, according to Reuters, will challenge itself to establish a common charger for smartphones and other electronic devices for Europe on the 27th. From 2011 the European Union will solve the great diversity of connections.
A single charger for smartphones in Europe at 27
Therefore, it will be up to the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, to present a proposal to reduce this excessive diversity of adapters, ports, chargers and proprietary connections. Currently, this normative proposal is finalized by the European legislator.
This development was first reported by the agency Reuters, citing sources close to the Union. However, also the publication Euractiv points to the same hypothesis, suggesting that said normative proposal will be presented in September.
The European Union proposal will primarily affect Apple and its iPhone, which continue to rely on the Lightning cable connection, while most of its other products already use the USB Type-C connection.
In fact, the European regulator is expected to place its preference on the USB Type C standard, already adopted by most Android manufacturers. Note that this is not the first instance in which the subject is approached, always with a lot of resistance.
The EU may adopt the USB-C standard as the new standard in Europe at 27
Given the above, it is expected that Apple will continue to present obstacles to such a measure. With the iPhone maker relying on its Lightning port, a major source of revenue for Cupertino’s technology, the proposal is likely to be questioned.
This effort to standardize has been a common theme in the Union for the past decade, but now the prospects for approval look more favorable. In this sense, the data advanced by the European Union points out, recognizing the growing popularity of the USB-C standard in a study carried out in 2019.
The aforementioned research found that, by 2018, half of the smartphone chargers in the community space already had a micro-USB or micro-B USB port. In contrast, only 29% used the USB-C connection and 21% used the Lightning connection.
Apple has already warned the European Union that such a move would harm innovation
Although the popularity of the USB-C standard has been on the rise from 2019 to 2021, Apple is sure to stand firm in its conviction. According to Cupertino’s technology, such a move would hamper innovation and create a large amount of e-waste if consumers were forced to switch to new chargers.
The European legislator, however, is convinced otherwise. In 2020, the legislators of the European Parliament voted, for the most part, in favor of the adoption of a common charger. This is a common pattern for these accessories.
By the way, we also remember the memorandum of understanding voluntarily signed by Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Nokia in 2011. There, technology companies committed to harmonizing chargers for the new smartphone models that would hit the market that year. At the time, this resulted in a decline in proprietary solutions and the adoption of the micro USB 2.0 standard.
A decade later, the Union tries again to unify the standard of chargers used in our smartphones. The last effort in this direction was made in 2018, without success.
Finally, we are waiting for the sunrises of September to know the complete normative proposal.