Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba wants e-readers, smartwatches, keyboards and other small electronic devices to be included in plans that will make USB-C the single charging standard across the European Union.

Agius Saliba, a Labour MEP who serves as the EP's rapporteur for the proposal to harmonise charging cables, made the proposal in a draft report that will now be debated by fellow MEPs. 

His draft report, presented this month, would require all electronic equipment that draws less than 100W of power to use the USB-C standard.

The original proposal tabled by the EU Commission excluded many forms of such equipment, restricting the requirement to mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles, and portable speakers. Agius Saliba’s plan is to extend that list to encompass all small and medium-sized electronic equipment.

Amendments drafted by the Maltese MEP would also ensure that such equipment will be, by default, sold without a charging cable and brick, unless one is requested by purchasers. Commission plans would allow consumers to buy a device without a charger, rather than making that the default.  

Among other things, the amendments also suggest introducing mandatory common standards for wireless charging by 2025 and introducing a review clause that would make it easier for the EU to update the rules should more suitable technology emerge in future.

Plans to introduce an EU-wide common charging cable date back to at least 2009, when an EU-piloted voluntary agreement between electronics manufacturers led to a reduction in the variety of charging cables from 30 to just three.

Industry pressure

Manufacturers have, however, failed to agree on a single common charger, prompting EU lawmakers to step in. The European Commission has decreed that USB-C technology should be the common standard – effectively meaning that Apple would have to ditch its proprietary Lightning port if it is to sell devices in the EU.

Alex Agius Saliba's efforts were highlighted by Politico.

Brussels-based news outlet Politico has noted that Agius Saliba's proposal to extend common charging standards to all low-powered electronic equipment is likely to ruffle feathers within the digital sector. 

In a profile which named the Labour MEP as one of the "people to watch" in the European Parliament this year, it said Agius Saliba would be "facing up against some of the titans in the industry" in pushing the legislation through.  

The change will not happen overnight: the proposal must be debated and agreed upon by MEPs before it is presented to country leaders to approve at the the EU Council. And even then, the Commission wants to give manufacturers a two-year grace period from when the change comes into force.

In his report, Agius Saliba said the timeframes being proposed are excessive and should be shortened.

The EU estimates that around 420 million portable electronic devices were sold within its borders in 2020 and cites research that found that around 11,000 tonnes worth of chargers are disposed of every year.

Almost 40% of consumers say that they have been unable to charge their devices at least once in the past because chargers available were not compatible with their device.