The European Parliament has adopted the Right to Repair Directive by 584 votes to three, making the repair of goods more accessible and cost-effective.
Right to Repair [Plenary Podcast]
"The rules clarify manufacturers' obligations to repair goods and encourage consumers to extend a product's life cycle through repair," the EU parliament said. There were 14 abstentions in the vote.
The vote came after a long period of negotiations – a provisional agreement was reached in February – and this week's vote means that the directive has been adopted. It still needs to be formally approved by the European Council and published in the EU's Official Journal. Member States then have 24 months to incorporate it into national law.
The goal is to make it easier to repair items within the EU. Goods fixed under warranty will receive a one-year extension of the legal warranty and "cannot prevent the use of used or 3D-printed spare parts by independent repairers, nor can they refuse to repair a product solely for financial reasons or because it has been previously repaired by someone else."
