Hopefully this will benefit other countries indirectly, instead of designing one repairable phone and one not repairable, should be easier to just design one.

Interesting things that are not on the list:

• Farming equipment
• Motor and electric vehicles
• Computers (including laptops)
• Video game consoles
• HVAC systems and equipment

Not sure if smart TVs fall under "electronic displays", or if they just mean commercial displays when they say that.

They pass dystopian chat control with one hand and does this with the other.

Heh, the dryer stopped working at home and my spouse was bracing to buy a new one. So nice to break out the multimeter, find the issue, and 10 dollar part later, good as new.

Think of all the waste avoided by repairing a tiny part in a gigantic appliance.

Unfortunately there are some exemptions. Flexible / folding displays are not covered. Fitness trackers and watches are not covered.

There is also a battery regulation coming in next year to require phone batteries to be replaceable with no tools but that has loop holes too - long life batteries aren't covered, IP67 rated phones aren't covered. So you can bet your boots those two reasons will be what makers use to bullshit their way out of it.

This is a step in the right direction love it. Although I got a reality check recently when I bought a washing machine and had a chat with the guy selling them new and used. He said that from 201X onwards basically the manufacturers constructed the insides of them in a single piece which is 350€ and with that it’s not economical to fix them. So yea technically they are repairable. But I have little hope that this will actually change something for consumers or the environment.

Water kettle stopped working, has fucking temper proof triangle head screws so can't even open it without having to buy a special screwdriver bit. name and shame : kitchenaid

This is good.

The RIGHT to repair does you no good if the thing itself is not DESIGNED to be repaired.

I'm noticing cars are not part of the list, despite being smartphones on wheels

For things like these I love Europe. For things like Chat Control I hate Europe

There is no repair without firmware. All hardware needs to be documented and ship with source. It hasn't been enough to be able to buy physical parts since perhaps the 80s or 90s. Everything is controlled by software. Without that right to repair is a joke. Meanwhile the surveillance industry and their well greased govt supporters are trying to lock down software. Can't have it both ways.

regulation works.

Thank you E.U. I hope you have a run of people buying and shipping products all over the world and it pressures everyone else to follow suit.

Can't wait to see what loopholes they will implement such that I can avoid repairing my shit and pay full price for a new one anyway because the repair costs just as much as a new one. God forbid replacing a single bearing instead of the whole wash drum, I hope the EU protects me from that like before.

This is excellent news, but I really wish this same logic will spill into the recent "stop killing video games" movement as well.

That whole fight was really about consumer protection as well, not just about video games IMO.

I want to be able to be easily repair and support products that are past their manufacture supported end of life. This goes for both physical products and digital products!

They won't make it so we can install any OS we want on tablets or phones, nor make drivers published as free software, right?

Good, now let's increase the list and also add vacuum cleaners to it! I thought that they already were but seemingly not :(

I have a super common type (in EU) of Philips water kettle. It's a reliable machine. Unfortunately the little filter "screen" for the pouring sprout is starting to break now, after many many years of use. I can't find a replacement. It's a super easy to manufacture part, must be a very common "breaking thing" on this widespread device... Nope.

Philips HD4646 if anyone knows a source 🙈

I like this for a lot of obvious reasons.

I worry about corporate malicious compliance though where the cost of a replacement part costs as much as the unit or near it to make up for lost revenue from selling whole units.

They could even get to the printer ink model where they sell the initial device for cheap or at a lost with planned obsolescence of parts that almost guarantee a replacement rate.

Do cars next!!