Parliament adopts its negotiating position on new rules promoting the right to repair and more sustainable consumption of consumer goods. MEPs debate on draft legislation to make it easier for consumers to repair defective goods even after the expiration of the guarantee. The proposal complements other ongoing EU initiatives that pursue the European Green Deal objective of sustainable consumption and the circular economy.

statement

Strasbourg

vote

waste of electrical and electronic equipment (T)

circular economy (T)

REPASI, René

Common rules promoting the repair of goods: extracts from the debate (Monday 20/11), votes and statements by René REPASI (S&D, DE), Rapporteur

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/73351629/1700485052235_I249443Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

External shot of the European Parliament in Strasbourg 

SOUNDBITE (German), Ren&eacute; REPASI (S&amp;D, DE), Rapporteur: Every year the Commission concludes we produce 35 million tonnes of waste simply because we are throwing it away, unable to repair it. The majority of citizens, however, want to repair their product or get it repaired. What happens now if you want to get a defective product repaired? The legal guarantee deadline doesn't allow enough time for the manufacturer to repair or they might not be a network to repair it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, This proposal is a major contribution to the Green Transition aiming to make a more attractive alternative to replacement. And together with other initiatives such as the adopted proposal on empowering consumers in the Green Transition and the proposal for Eco design on sustainable products regulations, it aims at ensuring an effective right to repair for consumers. It would encourage consumers to have products repaired and as a result use them for longer.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sunčana GLAVAK (EPP, HR), Rapporteur, Our focus was on facilitating the procedure which will reduce the waste. We want to repair services to be more accessible for final consumers. It is also important to have available spare parts. I also believe that it is necessary to improve the repairer culture to conduct awareness raising measures at the national level.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anna CAVAZZINI (Greens/EFA, DE), Let me spell it out very clearly. We Greens would have liked more. We would have liked to have seen the guarantee as lifelong. That would have been a real repair revolution. But unfortunately the centre right in this House stopped it. However, the current compromise is a milestone towards the circular economy and will save resources and the climate as well as the money of the consumer. We must ensure that the right to repair swiftly becomes a reality.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Tomislav SOKOL (EPP, HR), Throughout the lifecycle of the product and throughout the guarantee period, new products must be made available to consumers and if they want a new product, they cannot get it right now. That's why I'm happy that the amendment that I propose has been accepted. So if repair cannot be carried out in a short period of time, then the consumer has the right to a new product. I think that the voucher idea is also very good because it will make repairs of more affordable.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Christel SCHALDEMOSE (EPP, HR), If you look at the weights produced in Europe, all the washing machines and the rest thrown away, you can see what a huge waste of resources this is, how much money is being wasted here. We end up buying new devices rather than getting them repaired. Thankfully, we have this legislation about a change. It has to be possible to repair devices rather than throwing them away.

SOUNDBITE (Original), GOZI Sandro (Renew Europe, FR), For ten years we've been talking about this and for once it's being done here in Parliament. Waste is expensive, choosing to get things repaired is about being better informed with better guarantees. Repairs create new markets for spare parts and locally.

Cutaways of the vote on Common rules promoting the repair of goods (3 shots)

Final vote on Common rules promoting the repair of goods (590 for, 15 against, 15 abstentions)

SOUNDBITE (German), Ren&eacute; REPASI (S&amp;D, DE), Rapporteur, This right to repair wants to achieve is that everybody who wants to repair can get it. Nowadays, even if you want to have repairm, we are meeting so many resistances because the seller doesn't want to offer it, the manufacturer refuses it. Spare parts are too expensive that the willingness to repair is not met. 

SOUNDBITE (German), Ren&eacute; REPASI (S&amp;D, DE), Rapporteur, The manufacturer has to repair products, has done for an additional one year of guarantee period on the repair good, has to offer a replacement for repair if repair is is too long and the manufacturer has to offer access to all spare parts of all repair information for independent reasons. The manufacturer may not impede repair by hardware, software or contractual barriers, and the manufacturer must also make a repair if, before this request, the consumer went to an independent repair.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ren&eacute; REPASI (S&amp;D, DE), Rapporteur, The main point for a consumer is my product is broke, I want to have it repaired. Many consumers don't want to ship it far away, but they want to go to repair around the corner or they want to have a highly specialised for their very specialised product. So, where to find this? Ideally, you go to a platform. Some Member States already have multiple platforms to do their job. Fantastic. In other Member States, we do not have such infrastructure. So, we want to make it easy that a consumer finds the right repairer for their repair request.