Changes from adopted text to adopted text

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Common rules promoting the repair of goods

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

PE749.950

ChangedAmendments adopted by the European Parliament onlegislative 21resolution Novemberof 202323 April 2024 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules promoting the repair of goods and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394, Directives (EU) 2019/771 and (EU) 2020/1828 (COM(2023)0155 – C9-0117/2023 – 2023/0083(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

RemovedRecital 1: (1) Directive (EU) 2019/771 of the European Parliament and of the Council12 pursues the objective of improving the functioning of the internal market, while achieving a high level of consumer protection as well as increased circularity within the economy. In the context of the green transition, this Directive pursues the objective of improving the functioning of the internal market, while promoting more sustainable consumption, and thereby complements the objective pursued by Directive (EU) 2019/771.

Change 1

AddedThe European Parliament,

RemovedRecital 3: (3) In order to reduce premature disposal of viable goods purchased by consumers and to encourage consumers to use their goods longer, it is necessary to strengthen consumers’ right to repair, whereby consumers can seek quality and affordable repair from the provider of their choice. Repair should result in a sustainable consumption, respectful of planetary boundaries since it is likely to generate less waste caused by discarded goods, less demand for resources, including energy, caused by the process of manufacturing and sale of new goods replacing defective goods, as well as less greenhouse gas emissions. This Directive promotes sustainable consumption in view of achieving benefits for the environment, by promoting a life cycle of products which include re-use, repair and refurbishment, while also producing benefits for consumers by avoiding costs associated with new purchases in the short term.

Added– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2023)0155),

RemovedRecital 4 a (new): (4a) Consumer behaviour consists of a wide variety of aspects. When choosing between repair and purchase of a new product, decision criteria, such as economic convenience, durability, availability and proximity of a repair service, and the time required for a repair play a key role. Various obstacles might also prevent consumers from option for repair, such as the unavailability of information on reparability of a product when purchasing a good, lack of access to spare parts, lack of information on repair services, and costs of repair. In addition to the provisions laid down in this Directive, awareness-raising measures to promote a culture of repair, the improvement of consumers' knowledge on proper maintenance and care of products and knowledge of their existing rights including in terms of legal guarantee, as well as financial incentives for consumers, producers and repairers should be equivalently promoted and fostered.

Added– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C90117/2023),

RemovedRecital 6: (6) Reparability requirements should comprise all requirements under Union legal acts which ensure that goods can be repaired, including but not limited to requirements under the ecodesign framework referred to in Regulation [on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products], to cover a broad range of products as well as future developments.

Added– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

RemovedRecital 7: (7) In order to help consumers identify and choose suitable repair services, consumers should receive key information on repair services. The European Repair Information Form should lay down key parameters that influence consumer decisions when considering whether to repair defective goods. This Directive should set out a model standardised format. A standardised format for presenting repair services should allow consumers to assess and easily compare repair services. Such standardised format should also facilitate the process of providing information on repair services, in particular for micro, small and medium sized businesses providing repair services. Information in the European Repair Information Form should be provided to consumers in a clear and comprehensible manner and in line with the accessibility requirements of Directive 2019/88214 .

Added– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 14 June 2023,

RemovedRecital 8: (8) The consumer’s free choice to decide by whom to have its goods repaired should be facilitated by a voluntary provision of the European Repair Information Form not only by the producer, but also from the seller of the goods concerned or from independent repairers, where applicable. Repairers should provide the European Repair Information Form only voluntarily. A consumer may also conclude a contract for the provision of repair services with a repairer pursuant to pre-contractual information provided by other means in accordance with Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and the Council.15

Added– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 10 October 2023,

RemovedRecital 9: (9) There are situations in which a repairer incurs costs necessary for providing the information on repair and price included in the European Repair Information Form. Charging those costs should be limited to cases where the repairer may need to inspect the goods to be able to determine the defect or type of repair that is necessary, including the need for spare parts, and to estimate the repair price. In these cases, a repairer may only request a consumer to pay the costs that are necessary for providing this information included in the European Repair Information Form. These costs must in no way constitute an obstacle to the rest of the repair process nor have a dissuasive effect on the repair in general. In line with the pre-contractual information and other requirements set out in Directive 2011/83/EU, the repairer should inform the consumer about such costs before the consumer requests the provision of the European Repair Information Form. Consumers may refrain from receiving the European Repair Information Form where they consider that the costs for obtaining that form are too high.

Added– having regard to the provisional agreement approved by the committee responsible under Rule 74(4) of its Rules of Procedure and the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 14 February 2024 to approve Parliament’s position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

RemovedRecital 11: (11) Directive (EU) 2019/771 imposes an obligation on sellers to repair goods in the event of a lack of conformity which existed at the time that the goods were delivered and which becomes apparent within the liability period. Under that Directive, consumers are not entitled to have defects repaired which fall outside that obligation. As a consequence, a large number of defective, but otherwise viable, goods are prematurely discarded. In order to encourage consumers to repair their good in such situations, this Directive should impose an obligation on producers to repair goods that are listed in Annex II to this Directive. That repair obligation should be imposed, upon the consumer’s request, on the producers of such goods, since they are the addressees of those reparability requirements. That obligation should apply to producers established both inside and outside the Union in relation to goods placed on the Union market. However, the obligation for repair should be proportionate and take into account the availability of spare parts for the lifetime of the product. Spare parts should at least be made available for the time period set out in Union acts. Furthermore, this Directive should not put into question the economic freedom of choice for producers to stop manufacturing a product.

Added– having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,

RemovedRecital 12: (12) Since the obligation to repair imposed on producers under this Directive covers defects that are not due to the non-conformity of the goods with a sales contract, producers may provide repair against a price paid by the consumer, against another kind of consideration, or for free. The charging of a price should encourage producers to develop sustainable business models, including the provision of repair services. Such a price may take into account, for instance, labour costs, costs for spare parts, costs for operating the repair facility and a customary margin. For cases where those costs cannot be estimated prior to the repair, information on maximum expected price should be delivered to consumers. The price for and the conditions of repair should be agreed in a contract between the consumer and the producer and the consumer should remain free to decide whether that price and those conditions are acceptable. The need for such a contract and the competitive pressure from other repairers should encourage producers who are obliged to repair to keep the price acceptable for the consumer. The repair obligation may also be performed for free when the defect is covered by a commercial guarantee, for instance, in relation to guaranteed durability of goods. To incentivise consumers to have their product repaired outside of the legal guarantee, a producer may offer a loan of a replacement or refurbished good for the duration of the repair, which is expected to be returned once th…

Added– having regard to the opinions of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,

RemovedRecital 13: (13) Producers may fulfil their obligation to repair by sub-contracting repair, for instance, if the producer does not have the repair infrastructure. To prevent unnecessary shipping costs and emissions, the repair should be carried out as close as possible to the consumer. Thus, the repair can be carried out by a repairer located closer to the consumer, in particular in those instances where the producer is established outside the Union.

Added– having regard to the report of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (A9-0316/2023),

RemovedRecital 14: (14) The requirements laid down in delegated acts adopted pursuant to Regulation [on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products] or implementing measures adopted pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council16 , according to which producers should provide access to spare parts, repair and maintenance information or any repair related software tools, firmware or similar auxiliary means, apply. Those requirements ensure the technical feasibility of repair, not only by the producer, but also by other repairers. To complement those measures, access for independent repairers, remanufacturers, refurbishers and end-users to all spare parts, all related information and tools, including diagnostic tools, should be provided at a reasonable cost and in a non-discriminatory manner, for a period corresponding to at least the expected lifespan of the product. Consequently, this should ensure competition and benefit consumers with better services and lower prices when selecting a repairer of its choice or where capable, carry out the repair on its own. Complexity and safety of the repair is linked with the type of device. Where it could be reasonably foreseen that the performance of repair by the average consumer could lead to safety hazard or requires advanced tools, the producers should explicitly warn the consumer.

Added1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;

RemovedRecital 15: (15) The obligation to repair should also be effective in cases where the producer is established outside the Union. In order to enable consumers to turn to an economic operator established within the Union to perform this obligation, this Directive foresees a sequence of alternative economic operators required to perform the obligation to repair of the producer in such cases. Because of their role in the supply chain of goods to consumers, fulfilment service providers should also be covered by this Directive. This should prevent situations where no economic operator is established in the Union to fulfil the repair obligation. Producers established outside the Union should organise and perform their obligation to repair within the Union.

Added2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amend its proposal;

RemovedRecital 16: (16) To avoid overburdening producers and to ensure they are able to perform their obligation to repair, that obligation should be established for those products for which and to the extent any reparability requirements are provided for in Union legal acts and for other reparable products, including bicycles. Reparability requirements do not oblige producers to repair defective goods, but ensure that goods are reparable. Such reparability requirements can be laid down in relevant Union legal acts. Examples are delegated acts adopted pursuant to Regulation [on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products] or implementing measures adopted pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 17 , which create a framework to improve the environmental sustainability of products. This limitation of the obligation to repair ensures that only those goods which are reparable by design are subject to such obligation. Relevant reparability requirements include design requirements enhancing the ability to disassemble the goods and a range of spare parts to be made available for a minimum period. The obligation to repair corresponds to the scope of the reparability requirements, for instance, ecodesign requirements may apply only to certain components of the goods or a specific period of time may be set to make spare parts available. The obligation to repair under this Directive, which allows the consumer to claim repair directly against the producer in the after-sale…

Added3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

RemovedRecital 16 a (new): (16a) By 5 years after the entry into force of this Directive, the Commission should carry out an evaluation of this Directive and assess its contribution, and in particular Articles 5, 9a and 12, to the proper functioning of the internal market, the high level of consumer protection and the improvement of the environmental sustainability of products, as well as their impact on businesses, in particular micro, small and medium enterprises. With regards to Article 7 it should evaluate and assess the effectiveness of online platforms for repair based on data from individual Member States, containing information on the number of active repair service providers, consumers and the number of transactions performed. The Commission should draw up a report on the main findings and submit it to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions. Member States should provide the Commission with the information necessary for the preparation of that report. The report should be accompanied, where appropriate, by a legislative proposal.

AddedP9_TC1-COD(2023)0083

RemovedRecital 17: (17) To ensure legal certainty, this Directive lists in Annex II relevant product groups for the repair obligation under this Directive or that are covered by reparability requirements under Union legal acts as well as other reparable goods, including bicycles. In order to ensure coherence with future market and legislative developments, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of in particular adding new product groups to Annex II, for instance when new reparability requirements are adopted. When adding new product groups to the Annex II the Commission should conduct an impact assessment, in particular when the addition is undertaken independent of other acts under Union law. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making18 . In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council should receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically should have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.

AddedPosition of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 23 April 2024 with a view to the adoption of Directive (EU) 2024/… of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules promoting the repair of goods and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 and Directives (EU) 2019/771 and (EU) 2020/1828

RemovedRecital 20: (20) In order to increase the consumer awareness on the availability of repair and thus its likelihood, producers or sellers should inform consumers of the existence of that obligation. The information should mention the relevant goods covered by that obligation, together with an explanation that and to what extent repair is provided for those goods, for instance through sub-contractors. That information should be easily accessible to the consumer and provided in a clear and comprehensible manner, without the need for the consumer to request it, and in line with the accessibility requirements of Directive 2019/882. The producer or where relevant the seller are free to determine the means through which it informs the consumer, for example through means at the point of sale in a visible and prominent way.

Added(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Directive (EU) 2024/1799.)

RemovedRecital 21: (21) In order to encourage repair, Member States should ensure that for their territory at least one online platform exists which enables consumers to search for suitable repairers. That platform may be an existing or privately operated platform, if it meets the conditions laid down in this Directive. If such an online platform does not exist, Member States should seek to create one in collaboration with the involved economic operators. That platform should include user-friendly and independent comparison tools which assist consumers in assessing and comparing the merits of different repair service providers, thereby incentivising consumers to choose repair instead of buying new goods. While that platform aims at facilitating the search for repair services in business-to-consumer relationships, Member States are free to extend its scope also to include business-to-business relationships as well as community-led repair initiatives.

RemovedRecital 25: (25) In order to facilitate obtaining the European Repair Information Form, the online platform should include the possibility for consumers to directly request that form from the repairer through the online platform. This possibility should be displayed in a prominent manner on the online platform. To create awareness of national online repair platforms and to facilitate access to such platforms across the Union, Member States should ensure that their online platforms are accessible through relevant national webpages connected to the Single Digital Gateway established by Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council20 . Member States should communicate to the Commission the link of existing online platforms for repair in their territory within 12 months after entry into force of this Directive and the link of every new online platform for repair within 14 working days of their launch. The Commission should keep a publicly available and easily accessible and machine-readable database of online platforms for repair registered within the Member States.

RemovedRecital 25 a (new): (25a) To raise consumer awareness of the online platform for repair, Member States should take appropriate steps, for instance signposting the online platform on related national websites or carrying out communication campaigns. Economic operators or online platforms allowing long-distance contracts should also take appropriate steps to inform consumers about the online platform for repair, for instance, by sending the consumer the link or advertising it in store. Methods to raise awareness shall take into account and be accessible for consumers with low literacy and digital skills.

RemovedRecital 26 a (new): (26a) As a clear majority of Union citizens prefer having a good repaired rather than buying a new one1a, all consumers should have the means to have their goods repaired outside of the legal guarantee period. This would not only serve the Green Transition but support European businesses as well. In this regard, Member States should develop financial incentives to promote repair. In many Member States such measures already exist in the form of national repair funds or repair vouchers. In order to support the Member States further in promoting repair the Commission should consider proposing an amendment to the Council to extend the scope of point (19) of Annex III to Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax to other product categories, at least to those mentioned in Annex II to this Directive. This could create more coherence between the product categories foreseen in Annex II to this Directive and the Annex III of the Council Directive 2006/112/EC. This could enable all consumers to have their goods repaired rather than buying a replacement. In addition, Member States should pay particular attention to micro, small and medium sized enterprises as their businesses are a vital part of the repair chain. Member States should report to the Commission the measures taken, and the Commission should make the measures publicly available. / 1a See Flash Eurobarometer 388 report of June 2014 entitled ‘Attitudes of Europeans towards waste m…

RemovedRecital 26 b (new): (26b) It is necessary that Member States lay down penalties for infringements of this Directive and ensure that they are enforced. The penalties should be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

RemovedRecital 27: (27) The Commission should enable the development of a voluntary European quality standard for repair services, for instance by encouraging and facilitating voluntary cooperation on a standard between businesses, public authorities and other stakeholders, such as independent and community repair providers, or by issuing a standardisation request to the European standardisation organisations. A European standard for repair services could boost consumer trust in repair services across the Union. Such standard could include aspects influencing consumer decisions on repair, such as the time to complete repair, the availability of temporary replacement goods, quality assurances such as a commercial guarantee on repair, and the availability of ancillary services such as removal, installation and transportation offered by repairers.

RemovedRecital 28: (28) In order to promote repair within the liability of the seller as established in Directive (EU) 2019/771, the harmonised conditions under which the choice between the remedies of repair and replacement can be exercised should be adapted. The principle established in Directive (EU) 2019/771 to use the consideration whether the remedy chosen would impose costs on the seller that are disproportionate as compared to the other remedy, as one of the criteria to determine the applicable remedy, should be maintained. The consumer remains entitled to choose repair over replacement, unless repair would be factually or legally impossible. However, where the costs for replacement are higher than or equal to the costs of repair, the seller should always repair the goods, unless the repair would create significant inconvenience to the consumer. Situations where the repair would create significant inconvenience to the consumer should be considered on a case-by-case basis while taking into account the nature of the goods and the purpose for which the consumer required the goods. In that respect, the Court of Justice of the European Union has established that a significant inconvenience to the consumer could be understood as a burden that is likely to deter the average consumer from asserting his rights. In this context, this is especially the case where the consumer has a valid interest for non-interrupted use of the goods, and a temporary replacement cannot be provided or cannot be prov…

RemovedRecital 28 a (new): (28a) To support consumers and incentivise repair, the seller should, depending on the specificities of the relevant product-category, loan the consumer a replacement product, if the repair was not completed within a reasonable period of time. This replacement product can also be a refurbished good but should be temporarily loaned to the consumer without cost. Furthermore, the seller should undertake the repair within a reasonable period of time.

RemovedRecital 28 b (new): (28b) Directive (EU) 2019/771 imposes an obligation on sellers to repair goods in the event of a lack of conformity existing at the time when the goods were delivered and which becomes apparent within the liability period. In order to promote repair within the liability period, once they choose repair as a remedy to bring a good into conformity, consumers should be able to benefit from an extended liability period of an additional one year starting from the moment their good is returned to them, repaired, provided that Member States have maintained or introduced time limits for the conformity of the original good in accordance with Article 10, paragraphs 1, 2 or 3 of that Directive. This extension of the legal guarantee period should only apply to the first repair under Directive (EU) 2019/771. Directive (EU) 2019/771 should therefore be amended accordingly.

RemovedRecital 28 c (new): (28c) Consumers choosing repair as the remedy to have the goods brought in conformity should be allowed to choose between the seller or the producer to have the goods being brought into conformity. When consumers choose that the product should be brought into conformity by the producer, a direct producer liability should be established for the repair of products. In such a case, the producer should repair the product to remedy the non-conformity. Producers should try to react swiftly with their assessment if the product can be repaired. If repair is impossible the producer should assess the situation and solve it in a convenient way for the consumer, for instance by getting in touch with the initial seller and the consumer. To avoid the same repair for the same defect by the seller in such a case, the seller should be discharged from his liability for that defect and once successfully repaired by the producer, the good should be regarded as being in conformity. No other rights of the consumer under Directive (EU) 2019/771 should be affected by this producer liability in case of repair as remedy to a non-conformity.

RemovedRecital 28 d (new): (28d) In order to incentivise consumers to opt for repair, the commercial guarantee should not contain any terms that would discourage consumers from making use of its right to repair a good that is not in conformity.

RemovedRecital 30: (30) In order to allow economic operators to adapt, transitional provisions concerning the application of some Articles of this Directive should be introduced. Thus, the obligations to repair and to provide related information on this obligation should apply to contracts for the provision of repair services after [18 months after the entry into force]. The amendment to Directive (EU) 2019/771 should apply only to sales contracts concluded after [18 months after the entry into force] to ensure legal certainty and to provide sellers with sufficient time to adapt to the amended remedies of repair and replacement.

RemovedArticle 1 – paragraph 1: 1. This Directive lays down common rules strengthening the right to repair of goods for consumers, with a view to contributing to the proper functioning of the internal market, while providing for a high level of consumer and environmental protection.

RemovedArticle 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1 a (new): 1a. ‘repair’ means returning a defective product or waste to a condition where it fulfils its intended use;

RemovedArticle 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2: 2. ‘repairer’ means any natural or legal person who, related to that person’s trade, business, craft or profession, provides a repair service, including producers and sellers that provide repair services and repair service providers whether independent repairers, professional repairers or affiliated with such producers or sellers;

RemovedArticle 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new): 2a. ‘independent operator’ means a natural or legal person, other than an authorised representative, seller or repairer, who is directly or indirectly involved in the repair and maintenance of the good, and include repairers, manufacturers or distributors of repair equipment, tools or spare parts, as well as publishers of technical information, assistance operators, operators offering inspection and testing services, operators offering training for installers and remote service suppliers;

RemovedArticle 2 – paragraph 1 – point 6 a (new): 6a. ‘fulfilment service provider’ means any natural or legal person offering, in the course of commercial activity, at least two of the following services: warehousing, packaging, addressing and dispatching of a product, without having ownership of the product, with the exception of ‘postal services’ as defined in Article 2, point (1), of Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council1a, of ‘parcel delivery services’ as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Regulation (EU) 2018/644 of the European Parliament and of the Council1b, and of any other postal services or freight transport services; / 1a Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service (OJ L 15, 21.1.1998, p. 14). / 1bRegulation (EU) 2018/644 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on cross-border parcel delivery services (OJ L 112, 2.5.2018, p. 19).

RemovedArticle 4 – paragraph 1: 1. Repairers may provide the consumer, with the European Repair Information Form set out in Annex I to this Directive on a durable medium within the meaning of Article 2 (11) of Directive 2019/771/EU. In such cases, producers or the relevant economic operator under Article 5 of this Directive shall provide the repairer in a clear manner with information necessary for the repairer to complete the European Repair Information Form.

RemovedArticle 4 – paragraph 2: deleted

RemovedArticle 4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1: Where a physical examination including an on-site assessment of the product is required for estimating the price of repair, the repairer may request the consumer to pay the necessary costs involved for such physical examination.

RemovedArticle 4 – paragraph 4 – point e: (e) the maximum price expected for the repair including but not limited to costs for spare parts, labour costs, costs for the freight, delivery or postal charges or, if either the total price or any of its subparts cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated;