Overview
- The draft would require manufacturers to repair covered products such as smartphones, washing machines and refrigerators during their usual lifespan at an appropriate price and to provide spare parts.
- Minimum parts-availability periods include about ten years for washing machines and tumble dryers and at least seven years for smartphones after a model’s production ends.
- The proposal bans software or technical measures that impede repairs, requires repairable design, and permits third-party repairs using non‑original parts.
- If an item cannot be repaired when comparable devices normally can be, it would be deemed defective, enabling replacement rights; choosing repair during the statutory period would extend the warranty from two to three years.
- The ministry has circulated the text to states and associations for comments by February 13 and expects Bundestag approval in the first half of 2026 so the law can enter into force by July 31, with the definition of an “appropriate” repair fee still to be settled.