The European Union gives a new boost to the directive promoting the repair of products to foster the circular economy

The European Parliament has adopted the Right-to-Repair Directive, which was announced in the "new Circular Economy Action Plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe" presented by the European Commission on March 11, 2020 as one of the pillars of the European Green Deal.

In the plenary session held on April 23, the European Parliament has approved the Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394, Directives (EU) 2019/771 and (EU) 2020/1828, also known as the Right-to-Repair Directive.

With this directive, the EU seeks to encourage consumers to repair goods after the legal guarantee expires, rather than choosing to replace them, thereby fostering more sustainable consumer habits and business models.

Following the proposal for a Directive submitted by the European Commission on March 22, 2023, the legislative procedure continued its process with the amendments approved by the European Parliament on November 21, 2023 and the adoption by the Council of the EU of its position on November 22, 2023.

On February 1, 2024, the Council and the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the proposal for a Directive, which the Parliament has now ratified.

Now the Directive must be adopted by the Council before it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Member States will have two years to transpose it into their national legislation.