On December 7, the European Union officially published the revised Directive (EU) 2022/2380 on universal chargers to supplement the specific implementation requirements of 3.3(a) of the RED Directive Directive 2014/53/EU for universal charging interfaces.

The Amendment Directive covers a total of 13 types of wireless devices, including smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, wireless headphones, handheld game consoles, portable speakers, e-books, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems and laptops. According to the requirements of the new directive, all 13 types of equipment mentioned above must be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port in accordance with EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021 and can be charged using a charging cable that complies with the same standard, where devices that support fast charging should support the USB PD protocol in accordance with EN IEC 62680-1-2:2021. In addition, consumers and users may choose to purchase devices with unbundled chargers, and the manufacturer or seller should indicate whether the product is equipped with a charger with a specific mark on the packaging, indicating the charger power range requirements and the supported fast charging protocols.

The new directive will be mandatory in all EU member states from 28 December 2024, with the requirement for laptop devices to be mandatory on 28 April 2026, and new devices entering the EU market after the mandatory date should meet the requirements of the directive.

On 23 November 2022, the European Commission published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2307 entitled "Revision of Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/179 on the designation and provision of the frequency bands 5150-5250 MHz, 5250-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz in accordance with the technical conditions specified in the Annex". The revision comes in response to a request by the European automotive industry for the European Commission to confirm the use scenarios of the 5470-5725MHz band in Decision (EU) 2022/179 published on 8 February 2022. The European Postal and Telecommunications Commission (CEPT) then conducted a study and finally updated the implementation date from 1 March 2022 to 30 June 2023 with no technical changes in the requirements given in (EU) 2022/2307.

Click on this link to view the original decision (EU) 2022/2307.

On June 7, 2019, the European Union published Directive (EU) 2019/882, also known as the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The directive complements the European Web Accessibility Directive (EU) 2016/2102 (Web Accessibility Directive). Accessibility means that products, services, or environments should be designed to allow people with disabilities to be able to use them equally (directly or indirectly (with some degree of assistance).

Applicable Products & Services:

For specific products covered by the EAA, please refer to Article 2 Scope of Chapter 1 of the EU Directive (EU) 2019/882 (hereinafter referred to as "relevant products and services"). The specific "Accessibility" requirements are detailed in Directive (EU) 2019/882 ANNEX 1. Some example products include:

• computer and operating system
• ATMs, ticket machines and check-in machines
• Smartphones
• Television equipment related to digital television services
• Telephone service and related equipment
• Access to audiovisual media services such as television broadcasting
• Air, bus, rail and water passenger transport related services
• Banking services
• E-book
• E-commerce

Implementation time and transition period:

According to Directive EU2019/882, all relevant products and services, in particular digital technologies, that enter the EU market after 28 June 2025 must be accessible to persons with disabilities and older persons. The goal is to standardize accessibility and ensure easier access to relevant services and products.

Products that have been on the market or services that have been provided before June 28, 2025 can continue to be used for the duration of the contract, but with a maximum transition period of 5 years. That is, by 28 June 2030, the EEA must fully apply to all relevant products or services offered on the EU market, including those already on the market before 28 June 2025.

Click on this link to view the original Directive (EU) 2019/882.