20
Nov
2023
Watch
Common rules promoting the repair of goods
The Honourable Chair, while research has shown that 77% of EU citizens would rather repair their devices than replace them with new ones, the fact remains that consumers, when they decide to repair a product, face a number of problems such as the unavailability of replacement parts, the length and cost of repair, and the unavailability of repair services. With the adoption of the legislative report Right to Repair, we are one step closer to making repair more accessible to consumers. Manufacturers will no longer be able to claim that they do not have replacement parts for repair, as we have made it mandatory for spare parts to be available for the entire expected life of the product. In particular, I advocated that a replacement product must be offered to consumers during the period of repair of the product within the warranty period. Indeed, when a consumer, for example, takes a mobile phone for repair under a warranty, the producer is not obliged to give him or her a replacement mobile phone, which is a major problem for consumers. In this vein, I am pleased that part of this report is also my amendment, which will oblige manufacturers to give consumers a replacement product for the duration of the repair if repair cannot be carried out in the short term. In addition, it is important that we encourage the right to repair, which is why I particularly support the idea of vouchers that will make repair more accessible. Colleagues, the well-established model by which a product is bought, used and discarded, is no longer sustainable. That is why I support the adoption of this report and hope for a swift agreement with the Member States to make the right to repair a new standard of European legislation.