Many of the most important decisions made in the last parliamentary term – such as climate laws or new regulations to govern artificial intelligence – will not be felt for many years.

However, we can also list a few legislative projects that the European deputies have implemented in the last five years and that have left their mark on the lives of Europeans.

Universal charger

When Apple launched the iPhone 15 with a standard USB-C charging port instead of the proprietary Lightning port, it effectively anticipated EU regulations related to the "universal charger" – all smartphones must have the same USB-C charger by the end of this year.

These rules – which were heavily promoted by the European Parliament and extended by European deputies to include e-books, keyboards, headphones and other devices – were meant to combat one of the annoyances of Europeans: drawers full of chargers and adapters with different plugs and cables.

The EU directors promoted that by making the USB-C charger the standard, electronic waste would be reduced.

However, this rule has had a major impact on ordinary Europeans, who will no longer have to hassle with chargers.

Cheaper cross-border calls

According to Politico, lawmakers managed to get EU capitals to agree to eliminate surcharges applied by telecom operators when people call or send text messages to someone in another EU country, complementing the famous EU free roaming regime, which allows you to use your phone like at home when traveling within the community bloc. This is expected to happen in 2029, assuming the European Commission adopts the necessary technical regulations.

Google Maps

Europeans have been annoyed by Google Search since the company changed the way location results are displayed. Previously, people could search for a place on Google, click on the Google Maps link that appeared, and start navigating to that location. This trick no longer works in Europe due to the EU's Digital Markets Act, which forced large tech companies to stop prioritizing their own products and services over those of smaller rivals on their platforms. Although this could pave the way for smaller players to gain more exposure on search engines, Google users find it hard to adapt: some have started exchanging tricks to cheat and, ironically, Google Chrome extensions that restore the old search version.

Right to repair

When we have a broken laptop or a smartphone whose battery needs replacing, the question has always been whether we should change our device instead of repairing it.

Brussels wants to ensure that people can easily choose to repair a product instead of throwing it away.

The European Parliament has fought to expand the scope of the right to repair as much as possible, but faced strong resistance from EU countries to apply only to products for which there are already eco-design standards. Last week, national governments gave final approval to the new law on the right to repair, just in time for the European elections.

New perspectives

Thanks to the EU's single-use plastics law, European deputies have fought for restrictions on a wider range of products.

Traders selling takeaway food have had to buy sustainable containers and cutlery, such as cardboard boxes that can be collected and recycled more easily.

Thanks to the new packaging rules that have just been adopted, people will be able to ask for their food to be put directly into their own containers, such as lunch boxes.

Bottle caps

Starting in July, the caps of soft drink bottles will have to be attached to the rest of the container, a result of the single-use plastics rules adopted in 2019. The goal? To prevent bottle caps from being littered and to increase their recycling rate. A practice that has annoyed many Europeans.