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At the beginning of February 2024, the Council and the EU Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the directive to promote the repair of defective goods. The new regulations are intended to update the legal guarantee framework and make manufacturers of repairable products more accountable. In this way, the measures are intended to expand the consumer rights of millions of citizens in Europe – and bring the EU one step closer to the Green Deal.
The directive is the result of a proposal published by the EU Commission in March 2023, which referred to the current problems faced by consumers when a purchased product is found to be defective during the post-purchase care phase.
If a product becomes defective in future during the statutory guarantee period, the period will be extended by one year – if the consumer decides to have their products repaired instead of an exchange. Even after the guarantee period has expired, manufacturers of technically repairable devices are to offer cost-effective repairs of their products. Technically repairable goods are initially defined as:
- washing machines and dryers
- dishwashers
- refrigerating appliances
- electronic displays
- welding equipment
- vacuum cleaners
- servers and data storage products
- mobile phones, cordless phones, tablets
This list will be expanded in future to include additional product categories. In addition, a European repair platform will be established to make it much easier for consumers to find repair shops.
The legal text has yet to be formally adopted by the Council and the European Parliament. The directive will then be printed in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force on the 20th day after that publication.
Source: European Commission
