The EU will force companies to give you an extra 12-month guarantee for repairs

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of legislation to strengthen right-to-repair laws back in November. Now, the European Council and Parliament have reached a provisional deal on specific right-to-repair legislation.

One of the most notable provisions outlined by the European Council is that product sellers have to extend the warranty period by an additional 12 months after a product is repaired under warranty. However, the agreement adds that EU member states could prolong this additional warranty period. For what it’s worth, Europe currently offers a two-year guarantee on products.

This could indeed be a major motivator for people to get their phones and other gadgets repaired, giving you some peace of mind for an extra year at the very least (if not more). This isn’t the only noteworthy provision in the legislation, though.

What else will the EU do for right-to-repair?

For one, the legislation would force manufacturers to provide details regarding spare parts on their website, while also making these parts available to all repair sector parties at a “reasonable” price. The EU would also bar manufacturers from preventing the use of second-hand or 3D-printed spare parts by independent repairers. The provision for second-hand parts is especially important in light of companies like Apple making it much tougher for independent repair stores to use second-hand parts for repairs.

The agreement also forces manufacturers to make repairs within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price (if the repair wasn’t free). However, consumers would still be allowed to choose between a repair and replacement if a product is defective within the warranty period.

The EU’s legislation would also introduce a standardized repair information form for repairers (specifically targeted at small repair businesses). This form would be issued to consumers free of charge but still allows repairers to charge a fee for any diagnostic service.

Finally, the EU plans to offer an online repair platform that would list the different repair services in the EU (in the bloc itself and in each member state).

Either way, this legislation should make repairs a much easier endeavor in Europe. So here’s hoping more markets outside the EU adopt most of these measures because we’re sure the likes of Apple won’t budge without legal pressure.