The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the Council on the proposal, presented by the Commission in March 2023, on common rules to promote the repair of consumer goods.

When adopted, the new rules will provide consumers with a new ‘right to repair’, both within and outside statutory warranty, which will allow them to more easily and cost-effectively repair products rather than replace them with new ones products. This will bring benefits such as saving money for consumers, stimulating the circular economy and supporting the goals of sustainable consumption and the European Green Deal through waste reduction.

When a defect occurs within the statutory warranty, consumers will now benefit from an extended statutory warranty of one year if they choose to have the product repaired.

After the legal warranty has expired, consumers will be able to request an easier and cheaper repair of defects in products that are technically repairable (such as tablets, smart phones but also washing machines, dishwashers, etc.).

The European Parliament and the Council will now have to formally approve the political agreement. Once officially issued, the directive will enter into force on the 20th day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The ‘right to repair’ complements various other proposals put forward by the Commission to achieve sustainable consumption throughout the life cycle of products and establishes the framework for a real ‘right to repair’ across the EU.

Athena Papakosta