EU Right to Repair Is Now Law: You Can Demand a Fix

A sweeping new consumer rights law has entered force across Ireland and other European Union member states this week, giving millions of people a legally enforceable right to have their smartphones, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and other household appliances repaired — rather than discarded.

The EU's Right to Repair Directive, which launched on Monday, August 25, 2026, requires manufacturers of a broad range of products to offer repair services for a minimum number of years after purchase. For the first time, companies selling consumer electronics and household goods in Europe will be legally obligated to make those products fixable — and to provide the parts, tools, and technical information needed to do so.

Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke, called the new rules a landmark shift in how Europeans think about consumption and waste. "This is about making it easier for consumers to choose repair over replacement," he said at the law's entry into force. "It creates real opportunities for Irish businesses in the repair and refurbishment sector — and it is better for the planet."

The products currently covered include washing machines, washer-dryers, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, and certain other household appliances. Manufacturers must now offer repair services throughout the legal liability period — and in many cases beyond it — at a reasonable price. They cannot refuse to provide spare parts to independent repairers, and they cannot use software locks or other technical measures to prevent repairs by third parties.

The EU expects the new directive to generate a €4.8 billion boost to the bloc's economy, stimulate the growth of repair businesses across member states, and significantly reduce the volume of electronic and household waste sent to landfill. To help consumers find local repairers, the European Commission will launch an online repair directory in 2027, allowing users to search for authorised repair shops and independent fixers in every EU country.

The move builds on the EU's broader Circular Economy Action Plan, which aims to dramatically reduce waste, extend product lifespans, and shift Europe toward a model in which goods are designed to last, repaired when they break, and recycled at the end of their lives. The Right to Repair is one of its most consumer-facing elements, directly empowering individuals to make more sustainable choices.

"This is a win for consumers, for the climate, and for small businesses," said one spokesperson for the European Environmental Bureau, a coalition of environmental organisations that has campaigned for the directive for years. "Every appliance that gets repaired instead of thrown away saves energy, saves resources, and saves money."

Repair advocates have long argued that the electronics and appliance industries have systematically made products harder to fix — through non-removable batteries, proprietary screws, glued-together components, and software restrictions that only authorised service centres could override. The new directive directly addresses many of these barriers, creating minimum repairability standards that manufacturers must meet.

There is also a compelling financial case. The European Environment Agency estimates that the average European household could save hundreds of euros per year if it repaired major appliances rather than replacing them. A washing machine that would otherwise be scrapped after a broken pump or faulty door seal can now, in principle, be fixed by any competent repairer — and manufacturers must supply the necessary parts.

"We've been conditioned to think of broken things as trash," said one advocate for the new law. "This law says: no. A broken thing is fixable. And if it's fixable, it should be fixed." The Right to Repair directive will continue to roll out across all EU member states in the coming months, with additional product categories expected to be added in future years.