Right to Repair Response

Last month, a significant step forward was taken by EU lawmakers, who reached an agreement on the Right to Repair legislation. Rediscovery Centre, as a member of the Right to Repair campaign and RREUSE, the international network for social enterprises active in the circular economy, has welcomed these developments.

The Right to Repair legislation aims to support independent repair services and make repair more affordable. New measures include requiring that original parts are priced fairly, prohibiting software practices that prevent independent repair and supporting the use of compatible or reused spare parts. Following a long campaign, supporters of the right to repair, such as repair.eu and RREUSE have welcomed this development.

• Revamped Rules on Spare Parts: Manufacturers will have to offer spare parts and tools at fair prices and allow for the use of second-hand and 3D-printed spare parts by independent repairers.
• Economic Boost for Repair: Member States have to put in place at least one policy measure to improve the affordability of repairs. This may involve introducing financial incentives like repair funds and reduced VAT rates.
• Recognition of Community-Led Repair Initiatives: Community-based repair efforts, including repair cafés, will be featured on a Pan-European online platform showcasing local repair and refurbishment services throughout the EU.

As encouraging as these developments are, advocates have pointed out that these regulations only apply to products covered by existing EU legislation for ecodesign.  Broader legislation covering other product categories is still needed in the next legislative term. 

A new feature of the policy is a provision that requires that spare parts be made available at a ‘reasonable price’. While this is again an important step in the right direction, greater clarification is needed on the definition of reasonable in this context. We support the Right to Repair Europe proposal that a reasonable price for repair services should be defined as follows:

A ‘reasonable’ price for repair services, inclusive of the price of spare parts and labour, is a price that is no more than 33% of the price of a new product.

We support this definition as it is reinforced by research which suggests that above this approximate price point, consumers are less likely to choose repair over replacement. 

Further analysis will be shared by Right to Repair Europe once the approved legal text is accessible.