The second phase of the European Union’s Universal Charger Directive (Directive (EU) 2022/2380) officially comes into effect today. Starting from April 28, 2026, all products sold in the EU must be equipped with a USB-C charging interface that supports the USB-PD specification. Old notebooks without USB-C charging function must be immediately removed from the shelves and stopped for sale.
The first phase of the directive was implemented on December 28, 2024, covering 12 categories of small and medium-sized electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headsets, handheld game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice and navigation systems.
The second phase officially brings notebooks into the scope of enforcement.
The new regulations also require manufacturers to provide an option without a charger when selling, which is expected to save EU consumers approximately 250 million euros per year.
In addition, regulations do not prohibit manufacturers from retaining dedicated charging interfaces. For example, the MagSafe magnetic interface of Apple MacBook can continue to be used, but USB-C must be used as an optional charging method, and dedicated interfaces cannot be the only charging method.