Last night, the EU reached a deal on the right to repair proposal¹ that will help consumers repair their goods more easily and use their products longer. BEUC welcomes the new rules which will put pressure on producers to make high quality and repairable products.

Most importantly, legislators agreed to extend by one year the guarantee period for consumers who choose to repair their product that breaks under the legal guarantee. EU countries will also have to introduce at least one measure promoting repair, such as repair vouchers and funds, information campaigns, or VAT reduction on repair services.

BEUC is pleased that the EU maintained consumers’ right to choose between repair and replacement when a product is faulty and breaks. Imposing repair on consumers, as initially proposed by the European Commission, would be unfair since buyers would have to rely too much on the seller.

Ursula Pachl, BEUC’s Deputy Director General, commented:

“The EU is finally putting pressure on producers to make durable and repairable products the norm. Longer lasting and more repairable products is a no-brainer to save consumer money and natural resources. European consumer groups have long reported that too many products break too soon and are impossible to fix. The new rules will strengthen consumer rights when goods are defective and will make repair more attractive and accessible for consumers.

“Repair should be strongly encouraged, not imposed on consumers. The EU is saving consumer choice by not forcing people to have a broken product repaired instead of replaced. Not all goods can be properly repaired if the damage is too severe, think of a smartphone or a washing machine.

Consumers are entitled to a well-functioning product they paid for. We praise the EU for making sure existing consumer rights remain, while adopting new measures to make repair attractive and practical.

“It’s only fair that longer lasting products mean longer guarantee periods. Thanks to the new rules, when consumers will have their broken products fixed, they can rely on an extra one-year guarantee, which is great news.”

Background

• BEUC position paper on the right to repair

• BEUC recommendations for trilogue negotiations on the right to repair

¹ Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods (COM/2023/155 final).