Brussels, Sept. 25, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Commission launched infringement proceedings on Friday against Portugal to prompt the transposition of a directive that promotes product repair over replacement, thereby strengthening manufacturers' obligations, including after the warranty period expires.
In the September package of infringement cases, released on Friday, the European Commission states that it has decided to send a letter of formal notice to Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden to encourage them to transpose this directive.
The executive said the legislation, called the «Right to Repair Directive», aims to encourage «sustainable consumption by making it easier to repair products rather than replace them».
The directive «gives consumers the right to request repairs for products such as smartphones, washing machines or fridges, even after the statutory warranty period has expired», the executive said.
Under the directive, manufacturers must «offer repairs at a reasonable price, within a reasonable timeframe, and provide clear information about their repair services».
«In this way, the directive helps consumers save money, reduce waste, extend the life cycle of their products and cut greenhouse gas emissions», the European Commission noted.
In addition to launching infringement proceedings for failure to transpose this directive, the Commission said that it had decided to send a further letter of formal notice to Portugal and 17 other member states for failing to transpose a related directive, which provides that the right to repair also applies to «domestic heating appliances», such as fireplaces or portable electric heaters.
The member states now have two months to «respond and rectify the shortcomings identified by the Commission» in transposing these two directives.
«In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion», the second step in an infringement procedure.
TA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
