Stock Photo - 22 September 2021, Lower Saxony, Oldenburg: A Lightning charging plug is inserted into an Apple iPhone. The EU Commission presents a proposal for a uniform mobile phone charging socket. The issue of chargers has preoccupied the EU institutions for more than a decade. In 2009, under pressure from the EU Commission, 14 mobile phone manufacturers - including Apple - agreed on a uniform standard for power supply units in a voluntary commitment. When it comes to the jacks in smartphones and tablet computers, three types remain from what were once several dozen: the now obsolete Micro-USB, the newer USB-C, and Apple's thinner ""Lightning"" connectors. Since then, however, consumers have waited in vain for a uniform jack. Photo: Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa. - Oldenburg/Lower Saxony/Germany