The European Commission has recently put forward a new proposal to promote the repair of goods as opposed to their replacement, which has become the default option in recent years. This month, the EESC will be finalising its proposals for a better "right to repair". We asked Thierry Libaert to explain what the EESC is asking for.

Mr Libaert is the rapporteur for the EESC opinion on this issue and was the author of a pioneering EESC report which in 2013 first put planned obsolescence on the EU's radar. Some of his original proposals are now becoming a reality.