The universal charger is now mandatory in France for all smartphones, tablets and other small electronic devices.
Published
Reading time: 2min

It is the end of a 15-year battle, which played out in Brussels. The universal charger becomes compulsory, from Saturday December 28, in France, to equip smartphones, tablets, headphones and even e-readers. These small electronic devices must now be equipped with a USB-C type charging port. This corresponds to the application of a European directive adopted in 2022. The idea was to reduce waste and avoid the multiplication of cables, by limiting the production of electronic waste. An idea and a European desire which took time to translate into concrete terms and become a reality.
It all started in 2009, when a memorandum of understanding was signed between 14 smartphone manufacturers and the European Union. Direct consequence: a first standardization. Most phones are then equipped with a micro USB charger, with one notable exception: Apple iPhones.
During the following decade, several brands, such as Apple, but also Samsung, continued with their own system. In the absence of agreement, the European Commission then decides to move on to constraint, with a first proposed law in 2021. A new rule adopted and voted on by the European Parliament, by an overwhelming majority, in October 2022.
“It’s a bit of a shame we waited so long”commented at the time, Marc Tarabella, Belgian socialist MEP and member of the consumer protection committee.
“Apple was the most resilient of the manufacturers, because they had their technology and didn’t want to change.”
Unlike Samsung, Xiaomi or Google, Apple has in fact resisted for a long time, accusing the new rule of “harm innovation”before finally complying with it. Since September 2023 and the iPhone 15, the Apple brand has integrated a universal USB-C port into its new models.