MEPs urge binding rules for common chargers by July

"The present oversupply of chargers (...) causes excessive costs and inconvenience to consumers and an unnecessary environmental footprint", the text said.

More than a decade ago, when there were more than 30 different types of chargers in the market, the European Union urged phone producers to agree on a common standard for smartphone chargers. Most - but not all - of them did. And today there are only three charger types.

However, chargers have been estimated to produce more than 51,000 metric tons of e-waste per year in the EU, where the total e-waste generated in 2016 was 12.3 million metric tonnes - which is equivalent to 16.6 kg on average per inhabitant.

Meanwhile, only 35 percent of electronic waste was properly recycled in 2012.

"The commission has to show leadership and stop letting tech giants dictate our standards. We expect a proposal to establish a standard common charger for smartphones, digital cameras, e-book readers and tablets and similar devices within the next six months," said Polish MEP Roza Thun from the European People's Party (EPP).

Additionally, MEPs called on the commission to ensure that consumers are no longer obliged to buy new chargers with each new device, calling for decoupling strategies that should avoid potentially higher prices for consumers.

Likewise, the EU parliament wants to guarantee the interoperability of different wireless chargers with different mobile devices, as well as new legislative initiatives to increase the volume of cables and chargers collected and recycled in member states.

"Many mobile telephones already use wireless charging methods and that fragmentation in this area should be avoided," the text says.

However, the decision has not been well-received by Apple - a company that has been lobbying against this decision - since it will affect the company more than others as their smartphones are powered by its special lightning cable, rather than standard USB-C connectors used by Android mobile phones.

"Regulation that forces conformity across the type of connector built into all smartphones stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, and would harm consumers in Europe and the economy as a whole," said Apple in a statement earlier this week.