July 2026 — the deadline by which all EU member states must implement Directive 2024/1799 on the right to repair. What it requires of manufacturers, how it will affect the electronics market, and what consumers and businesses can expect.
Update — August 2026: The July 2026 transposition deadline has now passed. We are not yet systematically tracking the actual transposition status in individual member states (including Czechia) — this section will be updated once we have verified data on which states met the deadline.
Why the right to repair was created
Repairing a broken pair of headphones was straightforward a decade ago. Today it is a challenge: manufacturers deliberately complicate access to spare parts, glue in batteries, use proprietary screws and refuse to provide documentation to independent repair technicians.
The result? The average European discards functional or slightly damaged electrical appliances an average of 7 years before the end of their physically possible lifespan. Across the EU, that amounts to 35 million tonnes of electronic waste every year.
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU responded in June 2024 by adopting the Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods (2024/1799/EU).
What the directive specifically requires
Electronics and home appliance manufacturers now face the following obligations:
- Ensure the availability of spare parts and tools for a minimum of 10 years after production ends
- Complete repairs within 30–45 working days (depending on category)
- Not prevent repair through software, DRM or proprietary fasteners
- Provide access to technical documentation for independent repair shops at a reasonable cost
Consumers gain the right to:
- Request repair instead of replacement under warranty
- Use the European Repair Information Form — a standardised document that manufacturers must accept
- Access the European Repair Platform (launch planned for 2026) — a registry of certified repair services
What has not happened yet
It is important to be precise: the directive has been mandatory for all member states since July 2026 — that deadline has now passed. We do not yet have verified data on what transposition status individual countries (including Czechia) actually reached by that date; we will update this section once we do.
Moreover, the directive in its first phase applies only to selected categories: washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges, televisions, mobile phones and tablets. Other categories (furniture, clothing, footwear) are awaiting follow-on legislation.
How it will change the electronics market
IKOR is tracking three scenarios:
Optimistic: manufacturers adapt, a lively spare parts market emerges, repair costs fall by 20–30%, the average appliance lifespan extends by 2–3 years.
Middle: large manufacturers comply with the letter of the law at minimum, independent repair shops still encounter software barriers, the market changes gradually.
Pessimistic: enforcement is weak (as with previous eco-labels), manufacturers lobby for exemptions, actual spare parts availability remains low.
The most likely outcome is closer to the middle scenario — but the legislation creates a foundation on which consumer organisations, regulators and researchers like IKOR can build.
What this means for consumers today
Whatever stage of transposition your country is currently at, we recommend:
- Check the iFixit score before buying — for phones and laptops this is the best available proxy for repairability
- Ask the retailer about spare parts availability — they are legally required to answer
- Keep repair records — this documents the product's history and increases its resale value on the secondhand market
- Report violations — consumer protection authorities accept complaints and have begun investigations into repairability in 2025
What changes in 2026
The transposition deadline was July 2026. The most advanced implementations were in France (where the Indice de Réparabilité has been in force since 2021), Belgium and the Netherlands — their frameworks had the smallest gap to close. We are not yet verifying the current status in Czechia and other member states as of that date.
Manufacturers who want to be prepared:
- Need to publish repairability scores for regulated product categories
- Must ensure availability of spare parts and technical documentation
- Must not impede repair through software locks or proprietary materials
If you are a manufacturer or retailer and need guidance on implementation, contact us — we help businesses meet the directive's requirements while turning compliance into a competitive communications advantage.
IKOR monitors implementation of the Right to Repair Directive across all 27 EU member states. Data from this monitoring feeds into the Repairability Index and IKOR's annual report.
Further reading
A tenth of France's reliability score measures nothing
We rebuilt the French durability index from the complete register — 2,764 models instead of the 274 we had in July — and separated every sub-criterion. The warranty and quality-process criterion carries a nominal 10% of the reliability score and explains −0.1% of its variance. Delete it entirely and the ranking barely moves.
What the Secondhand Appliance Market Reveals — and What It Doesn't
We analysed 15,221 secondhand appliance listings from seven marketplaces in three countries. The most-resold brand in Czechia is not Bosch or Samsung — it is Mora. Appliances lose half their value within three years, and expensive brands lose a larger share. And the one thing we wanted most from this data, it refused to give us.