The EU parliament passed a law on Tuesday that will require all new phones, tablets, and cameras to have a single charging port.
The EU lawmakers adopted a measure that will push Apple to drop the outdated Lightning port on its phones in favor of the newer, faster, and more compatible version of the device.
Makers of laptops will have more time to make them.
It is expected to save at least 200 million euros a year and cut more than a thousand tonnes of EU electronic waste.
The move by the EU is expected to spread.
The European Union has 450 million people who are wealthy. The Brussels Effect is when regulatory changes in the bloc cause global industry standards to change.
Alex Agius Saliba, a Maltese member of the European Parliament, said that today was a great day for consumers and the environment.
After more than a decade, the single charge for multiple electronic devices will become a reality for Europe and hopefully we can also inspire the rest of the world crawler excavator.
– Faster data speed –
Apple already has charging ports on its laptops and tablets.
The EU legislation that it resisted would have made it harder to innovate.
Some users of its latest flagship iPhone models complain that the lightning cable transfers data at only a bare fraction of the speed of theusb-c.
All handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable speakers, handheld videogame consoles, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, mice and portable navigation systems will be covered by the EU law in two years.
People buying a device will have the option of getting one with or without a charging port, to take advantage of the fact that they might already have a cable at home.
The European Commission and makers of electronic consumer items agreed a decade ago to a single charging norm.
Apple refused to abide by it, and other manufacturers continued to use alternative cables.
They include old-styleusb, mini-usb andusb-micro, creating a mess of cables for consumers.
The ports can charge up to 100 Watts, transfer data up to 40 gigabits per second, and serve as external displays.
There is speculation that Apple might do away with the charging ports for cables entirely in future models. The wireless charging option has lower power and transfer speeds.
© Agence France-Presse