Circular economy: Germany put the brakes on the right to repair at EU level

"We want to make sustainability by design the standard for products. We will make the durability and reparability of a product a recognizable feature of its characteristics (right to repair)." This is stated in the coalition agreement of the traffic light coalition. Despite this, the German government did not ensure speed and expansion in the negotiations for a right to repair at EU level, but instead applied the handbrake. According to the taz, this is the result of documents requested by the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) based on the Freedom of Information Act (IFG). Instructions agreed between the responsible ministries for the negotiations in the EU Council of Ministers showed, for example, that the executive had spoken out in favor of a shorter guarantee period.

"Germany continues to be critical of the obligation of the member states to take at least one additional measure to promote repairs in addition to the reporting obligation," the taz quotes from one of the papers. According to the documents, it is also clear that there was thick air between the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ), led by Marco Buschmann (FDP), and the Department of the Environment and Consumer Protection (BMUV), which is headed by Steffi Lemke from the Green Party. In response to the IFG's inquiry, the BMJ had primarily identified business-friendly objectives.

For example, it wanted to prevent higher fines, a requirement for manufacturers to provide a replacement product for the repair period and an extension of the repair law to other product groups. The BMUV is said to have pushed for the opposite, but was unable to get its way in all areas. According to the directive for a right to repair, which the EU Parliament passed in April, the right only applies to products for which there are already relevant requirements in EU law with the ecodesign approach. These include smartphones, tablets, servers, monitors, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and welding equipment, and soon also vacuum cleaners. MEPs wanted to extend this list to include bicycles, for example, but the EU countries were against this.

"Economic interests brought into the negotiations"

However, despite the German government's criticism, every EU country must introduce at least one measure to promote repairs, such as vouchers, courses, information campaigns or a reduction in the VAT rate on repair services. In Germany, there are repeated calls to introduce a nationwide repair bonus for electrical appliances, similar to Thuringia. The member states must implement the directive over the next two years. The BMJ, which is responsible for this, informed taz that it is working on it. However, details could not yet be given. Maximilian Voigt from OKF complained that the FDP had "brought economic interests into the negotiations through the BMJ". Many people wanted things to be repaired instead of having to replace them. However, the issue is not being sufficiently addressed by politicians.

"Especially when you look at what other countries are doing, it's frustrating that nothing is progressing here," says Katrin Meyer from the Round Table Repair. According to the report, she hopes that the government will now use its leeway for more consumer protection when implementing the EU requirements into national law: extensions to other product categories, a clear framework for what spare parts may cost and a bonus are possible and necessary. So far, however, the executive has not even been able to agree on the long-promised action program "Repairing instead of throwing away", much to the annoyance of the Greens.

(nen)