EU Council gives final approval for USB-C port obligation from 2024

USB-C connections will be mandatory on small electronics sold in the European Union from 2024. On Monday, the Council of the European Union voted in favor of this proposal, the last approval needed before the legislation can come into force.

Now that the law has been passed by the Council of the European Union, it is published in the Official Journal of the EU. After that, it will take 20 days for the law to go into effect and manufacturers will have two years to comply. That must be from 2024.

Under the new law, smartphones – including iPhones – tablets, e-readers, digital cameras, consoles, headphones, earphones, navigation systems and wireless speakers, mice and keyboards must be equipped with a USB-C port if they have a physical charging port. For example, if a smartphone manufacturer releases a phone that can only be charged wirelessly, it does not need to be equipped with a USB-C port. 40 months after publication in the Official Journal, laptops with USB-C charging ports must also be equipped.

The European Commission announced the bill in September last year. The European Union wants the law to prevent chargers from being thrown away because they are not compatible with new devices that a consumer buys. Consumers should also be given the choice of whether they want to buy a product with or without a charger. The European Parliament voted in favor of the obligation earlier this month.