European Parliament passes law making USB type-C standard ports for most devices. Check out details here

According to the new law, USB type-C will be the required charging port starting in 2024 for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, e-readers, keyboards, mice, GPS units, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, and earbuds.

Beginning in 2026, laptop chargers will typically only support USB-C.

According to the European Commission, chargers produce between 11,000 and 13,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic trash annually; the new regulations are predicted to dramatically cut this quantity. That, however, is simply a drop in the ocean of electronic garbage, of which the EU gathered 4.5 million tonnes in total in 2019.


The EU has been attempting to standardize charging solutions for years, but smartphone makers refused to take action.

The industry and the Commission reached an agreement ten years ago in which they agreed to gradually cut down on various charging technologies.

Although this resulted in some progress, the Parliament still viewed it as insufficient, and in 2020 it increased its requests for the Commission to submit a legislative solution to address the problem.
The three EU institutions agreed upon the common-charger directive's specifics in June.

EU states will likely provide their final consent on October 24 during the Environment Council meeting. The legislation will then go into effect after that.

The Commission will have two years following the directive's implementation to develop new regulations and standards for wireless-charging technology.

FAQs
How long until the law is enacted?
It will take six months for EU nations to enact it into national law.

Was the law passed with a majority?
602 votes were cast supporting the text, 13 were against it, and eight abstained from voting.