BRUSSELS: European officials on Tuesday agreed the text of a proposed EU law imposing a standard charger for smartphones, tablets and laptops sold in the bloc, in a blow to Apple.

EU member states and MEPs believe a standard cable for all devices will cut back on electronic waste, but iPhone juggernaut Apple argues a one-size-fits-all charger would slow innovation and create more pollution. For most portable devices the requirement for charging via a USB Type-C port will come into effect from late 2024, negotiators said, while laptops will be given more time. The USB-C rule will also stretch to digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable speakers and E-readers, they said.

Lawmakers agreed on the common charger based on a proposal that was made by the European Commission in September, but came more than a decade after the European Parliament first pushed for it. The decision will be formally ratified by European Parliament and among EU member states later this year before entering into effect.

“We have been able to do it in nine months, that means that we can ... move fast when there is a political will,” the EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said.

The 27-nation union is home to 450 million people, some of the world’s richest consumers, and the imposition of the USB-C as standard could affect the entire global market.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2022