From 31 July 2026, the Right to repair enters the application phase provided for by Directive (EU) 2024/1799. For companies selling consumer goods in the European Union, the change does not only concern the possibility of repairing a product, but the way assistance, warranty, spare parts, consumer information and relationships with suppliers or repair centres are organised.
Right to repair: what changes
From 31 July 2026, the Right to repair enters the operational phase provided for by Directive (EU) 2024/1799. By that date, Member States must transpose the directive and apply the necessary national measures.
For companies selling consumer goods in the European Union, the deadline mainly concerns the way assistance, warranty, spare parts, consumer information and relationships with suppliers or repair centres are managed.
The new framework requires more structured processes: knowing which products are repairable under European rules, who is responsible when the manufacturer is outside the Union, which information must be available, how to manage the consumer’s choice between repair and replacement and how to document repair prices and conditions.
Some obligations concern only certain product categories. Others, instead, have a broader impact on sales of goods to consumers.
Why is the 31 July 2026 deadline important?
Directive (EU) 2024/1799 sets a single date: 31 July 2026. By that day, Member States must adopt the national transposition rules and must apply them from that same day.
For Italy, at the time this article is drafted, the national transposition decree has not yet been published. Penalty amounts, competent authorities and Italian procedural details will have to be checked against the national text as soon as it becomes available.
The European deadline, however, already makes it possible to identify the business areas to prepare:
- after-sales assistance;
- management of repair requests;
- availability of spare parts;
- relationships with non-EU suppliers;
- contracts with service centres;
- general terms and conditions of sale;
- information on the legal guarantee;
- customer care and complaints management;
- possible publication of indicative repair prices.
The most prudent approach is not to wait for the Italian transposition before starting the mapping exercise. The national decree may define application and penalty aspects, but the structure of the obligations is already contained in the European directive.
Two levels not to be confused
The right to repair does not work as a single obligation applying in the same way to all products. The directive works on two distinct levels.
The first level concerns the manufacturer’s repair obligation. This obligation applies only to goods for which European repairability requirements exist and which are listed in Annex II to Directive (EU) 2024/1799:
- household washing machines;
- household washer-dryers;
- household dishwashers;
- refrigerating appliances;
- electronic displays;
- welding equipment;
- vacuum cleaners;
- servers and data storage products;
- mobile phones, cordless phones and tablets;
- household tumble dryers;
- goods incorporating batteries for light means of transport;
- domestic local space heaters.
The European Commission will update the scope according to developments in the Ecodesign and ESPR framework.
The second level concerns the legal guarantee of conformity. When the consumer chooses repair as the remedy for a lack of conformity, the directive introduces a twelve-month extension of the seller’s liability period.
What changes for manufacturers
For products covered by Annex II, the manufacturer must organise itself to repair the goods at the consumer’s request. The repair must take place within a reasonable time and under reasonable conditions.
The manufacturer may materially entrust the repair to a third party, but remains responsible for the obligation. This makes the quality of agreements with service centres, repairers, spare parts suppliers and technical partners central.
The directive also intervenes on spare parts and obstacles to repair. Spare parts and tools, when made available, must be offered under conditions that do not discourage repair. In addition, for covered goods, the manufacturer must make information available online on the indicative prices applied for typical repairs.
Another relevant point concerns technical or contractual restrictions. The directive limits the use of clauses, hardware technologies or software technologies that prevent repair, except for legitimate and objective reasons.
The manufacturer also cannot refuse repair solely because the goods have already been repaired by third parties.
For companies that manufacture or market products under their own brand, the issue is therefore not only assistance but also service design, spare parts management, technical contracts and supply chain control.
What changes for EU importers
The importer profile is one of the most sensitive. If the manufacturer is established outside the European Union, the directive provides for a chain of responsibility that may involve the authorised representative, the importer or the distributor.
For an importer buying products from non-EU suppliers, the operational risk is clear: the obligation towards the consumer may fall on a European party that does not directly manufacture the goods and depends on the supplier for spare parts, technical information, repair manuals and continuity of support.
The problem becomes even more concrete when the product is sold under a private label. In that case, the company that has the goods manufactured and markets them under its own name or trademark is considered the manufacturer for the purposes of the applicable rules.
The contract with the supplier becomes a key document. If the availability of spare parts or repair information is not guaranteed upstream, the importer risks not having the tools needed to comply with downstream obligations.
What changes for retailers
Directive (EU) 2024/1799 changes the European framework on the sale of goods by introducing an incentive to repair.
When the consumer chooses repair as the remedy for a lack of conformity, the seller’s liability period is extended by twelve months. The measure does not automatically turn the legal guarantee into a general three-year guarantee for all products. The extension is linked to the choice of repair in the context of the legal guarantee.
This requires an update of sales and after-sales procedures. The seller must be able to inform the consumer about the choice between repair and replacement and about the effects of repair on the liability period.
The European repair information form
The directive introduces a European repair information form that serves to make repairers’ offers more comparable and to give the consumer clear information before deciding.
Its use is not generally mandatory. The repairer may choose to provide it. If it is provided, however, the conditions indicated must remain valid for thirty days. This means that price, timing and conditions cannot be freely changed during the validity period.
The form may include information on:
- identity of the repairer;
- goods to be repaired;
- nature of the defect;
- proposed repair;
- price or calculation method;
- expected timing;
- possible replacement goods;
- place of delivery;
- ancillary services;
- offer validity period.
The European repair platform
Directive (EU) 2024/1799 also provides for a European online repair platform, linked to the “Your Europe” portal. According to the European Commission, the platform should become operational in 2027.
The aim is to help consumers find repairers, sellers of refurbished goods and repair initiatives. Member States will have a role in managing the national sections and in defining the conditions for registration of repairers established in their territory.
Frequently asked questions
Does the right to repair apply to all products?
No. The manufacturer’s specific repair obligation concerns the products covered by Annex II to Directive (EU) 2024/1799. The changes to the legal guarantee instead have a broader impact on sales of consumer goods.
From 31 July 2026, does the legal guarantee automatically become three years?
No. The directive introduces a twelve-month extension when the consumer chooses repair as the remedy within the legal guarantee. It is not a general automatic extension for every sale.
Can an EU importer be required to manage the repair?
Yes. If the manufacturer is outside the European Union, responsibility may fall on the authorised representative, the importer or the distributor, according to the sequence provided for by the directive. The risk is particularly relevant for products imported from third countries and sold under a private label.
Is the European repair information form mandatory?
No. The form is optional for the repairer. If it is provided, the conditions indicated remain valid for thirty days and must be managed as a commitment towards the consumer.
Can the manufacturer refuse a repair because the product has been repaired by third parties?
It cannot refuse it for that reason alone. Specific assessments on safety, liability and commercial warranty remain possible and must be checked case by case on the basis of the applicable conditions.
Are the Italian penalties already known?
No. The directive requires effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties, but amounts, competent authority and Italian procedures will depend on the national transposition decree.
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