The European Union has taken another important step towards mandating the use of a single charging port on smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronics devices. Members of the European Parliament voted 43 to 2 on the European Commission's proposal to use USB-C as the uniform standard for charging mobile devices.

 Malta MP Alex Agius Saliba said in a statement on the subject that 11-13 thousand tons of electronic waste is produced in Europe every year, and that a single charger for mobile phones and other small and medium electronic devices will benefit everyone. Android devices currently dominating the European market use USB-C, while Apple iPhones use the Lightning port. The European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Commission states that USB Type-C is used in mobile phones, tablets, headphones, e-readers, low-power wants it to be the standard for laptops, keyboards, mice, smartwatches and electronic toys. Apple, on the other hand, believes that forcing consumers to switch to new chargers will undermine innovation and create a lot of electronic waste.