Brussels gives the green light to extend the warranty on repaired products to one year
He EU Council adopted this Thursday its final position on a future directive that will strengthen the call ‘right to repair’ of consumers with news such as extend the legal warranty of the repaired products to one year.
This standard was proposed by the European Comission in March 2023 and the community tour concluded this Thursday, which will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will come into force 20 days after its publication.
EU countries will have 24 months from its entry into force to transpose the directive into their national laws.
The directive will make it easier for consumers to rrepair instead of replacement of a defective productand will make repair services more accessible, transparent and attractive.
“Enshrines a new consumer right: the right to have defective products repaired in an easier way, cheaper and faster. It also gives manufacturers the incentive to make products that last longer and can be repaired, reused and recycled,” he said. Alexia BertrandSecretary of State for Budget and Consumer Protection of Belgium, the country that holds the Presidency of the EU during the first quarter of this year.
Bertrand indicated that, in addition, the standard will make “repair a more attractive economic activity that can create quality jobs in Europe“, with which “all economic actors win and so does the environment.”
Easier repair
The directive creates a set of tools and incentives to make repairs more attractive to consumers, such as requiring manufacturers to repair products that are technically repairable according to EU legislation and a voluntary repair form with clear information about the repair process (deadlines, prices, etc.).
Others are a European online platform where consumers can easily find repair services, and extend the legal guarantee to 12 months if consumers choose repair rather than replacement.
