The USB-C system would become the standard across all 27 membership countries.<\/b>
\nThe European Commission, the EU\u2019s executive branch, announced a new plan on Thursday that would establish the USB-C charger as the standard throughout its two dozen-plus member states for smartphones, tablets and other devices\u2014a move Apple, which uses a separate \u201cLightning\u201d charging system for its iPhones, has long opposed. The movement to adopt a common charger in Europe has been a long time coming. The number of different mobile phone chargers on the market has been whittled down from 30 to three (including the USB micro-B) since 2009, when the Commission \u201cfacilitated a voluntary agreement by the industry.\u201d Thursday\u2019s news is the final step toward adopting a single, universal charger. \u201cWe gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger,\u201d Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, said in the announcement. For years Apple has remained a stubborn holdout, refusing to get rid of its unique iPhone charger. \u201cApple stands for innovation,\u201d they wrote in a 2019 feedback form opposing the initiative. \u201cRegulations that would drive conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones freeze innovation rather than encourage it. Such proposals are bad for the environment and unnecessarily disruptive for customers.\u201d They put out a similar statement in the wake of Thursday\u2019s announcement: \u201cWe remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.\u201d The next step for the Commission\u2019s proposal would be adoption by the European Parliament and Council, plus a two year \u201ctransition period\u201d that would \u201cgive industry ample time to adapt before the entry into application,\u201d according to the press release. \u201c EU Seeks Common Charger for All Phones, Hurting Apple \u201d ( New York Times) \u201c EU plans one mobile charging port for all, in setback for Apple \u201d (Reuters) \u201c EU rules to force USB-C chargers for all phones \u201d (BBC News)<\/p>\n