Members of the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday in favour of a proposal to simplify and reduce the cost of repairing items instead of throwing them away and buying new ones.
The proposal received significant backing from members of parliament - 590 votes in favour, 15 against, 15 abstentions. Once the European Council adopts it, which is likely on Wednesday, negotiations with Parliament can begin.
For Belgian MEP Sara Matthieu (Groen), the proposal is definitely a step in the right direction. “With this proposal, we are making repairing the norm," she commented, "and multinational corporations like Apple will no longer dictate the shelf-life of our products."
"In doing so, we conserve resources, create more local jobs, and decrease expenses for citizens,” Ms. Matthieu added.
Each year, the EU discards around 35 million tonnes of items that could have been repaired. One in seven Europeans would prefer to fix these items, according to a European Commission study, but high costs, limited repair services, and a lack of spare parts prevent many from doing so.
“The repair system is dysfunctional. We need to shift from a society that discards to one that repairs,” said MEP René Repasi (S&D), the proposal's rapporteur.
The proposal would require manufacturers to repair items within the guarantee period, while sellers would need to prioritise repairing an item if it proves less expensive or equal to the cost of replacing it completely.
Even beyond warranty periods, consumers would have the right to ask the manufacturer to have certain items repaired, including household appliances, smartphones and bicycles.
To stimulate repairing and curb manufacturers’ monopolistic behaviour, MEPs advocate enabling access for independent repairers and end-users to all necessary spare parts, information, and tools. Online platforms should help consumers find local repairers and sellers of refurbished items.
The parliamentarians’ proposal also includes financial incentives for consumers who opt to repair their broken items and the allocation of a temporary replacement for the consumer while his/her item is being repaired.
Furthermore, it proposes extending a warranty by one year after an item is repaired.
