If you’ve been annoyed by changing standards and proprietary plugs when you travel with your electronics, you’re not alone, and the European Parliament wants to put an end to it, this time by law.
The last time they tried, in 2009, they decided to rely on voluntary efforts within the industry, and at first there appeared to be an agreement that everyone would use the USB-micro connector that did become the most common. But within months, Apple went off in another direction, and so did a few others.
Apart from the inconvenience, there is an environmental concern: “Apart from being impractical, all these different types of chargers increase the mass of electronic waste to 51,000 tonnes per year, which is enormous,” according to parliament members.
The demand for a legal standard is supported within the parliament from left to right, and it is supported by the executive. “The voluntary approach did not meet our expectations,” the European Commission said. “We will now have to consider a legislative approach.”
