The European Union wants to ensure citizens of its member countries the right to repair electronic devices

The European Union plans to introduce the so-called right to repair for the residents of its member countries. In accordance with this regulation, manufacturers of electronic devices would, among other things, also be obliged to update their customers' smartphones. To some extent, this regulation is part of the European Union's efforts to improve the state of the environment, similar to efforts to unify charging solutions for smart devices.

The European Union recently adopted a new circular economy action plan. This plan includes a number of objectives that the Union will strive to achieve over time. One of these goals is to establish a right to repair for EU citizens, and within this right, owners of electronic devices will, among other things, have the right to update them, but also the right to the availability of spare parts. However, the plan does not yet mention any specific legislation – so it is not clear how long manufacturers should be required to make spare parts available to their customers, and it has not yet been determined what types of devices this right will apply to.

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In October last year, the European Union established rules of this type for manufacturers of refrigerators, freezers and other household appliances. In this case, manufacturers are obliged to ensure the availability of spare parts for their customers for a period of up to ten years, but in the case of smart devices, this period will most likely be somewhat shorter.

When an electronic device cannot be repaired for any reason, the battery cannot be replaced, or software updates are no longer supported, such a product loses its value. However, many users would like to use their devices as long as possible. In addition, according to the European Union, the frequent replacement of electronic devices has a negative impact on the environment in the form of an increase in the volume of electronic waste.

Mentioned action plan it was first introduced in 2015 and included a total of fifty-four objectives.