There are currently three different systems: From autumn 2024, cell phones will finally only be able to be charged with a standard cell phone charging plug. The standardization should also avoid several tons of electronic waste.
There will soon be a standardized smartphone charging plug in the EU. In Strasbourg, the EU Parliament voted to introduce the USB-C format plug as the standard. From autumn 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras should be able to be charged with chargers with a USB-C connection. This should also apply to loudspeakers and headphones - but it will be later for laptops, probably in early 2026.
Mice and printers should also be subject to the new rules. In the future, a symbol will also be used on the packaging of electronic devices to indicate whether a charger is included or not. The member states still have to formally agree to the agreement, which, according to a spokeswoman for the Council, should happen in October. In June, negotiators from the European Parliament and the member states had already agreed on the introduction of the standard smartphone charging plug.
There are currently three different systems: the micro-USB connection, the newer connection via USB-C and Lightning from Apple. According to the EU Commission, mobile phone charging cables were responsible for around 11,000 tons of electronic waste in 2018. The standardization of charging plugs "will help reduce more than a thousand tons of waste in the EU per year," said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in Strasbourg before the vote.
