EU Excludes Smart Glasses from Removable Battery Rules
The European Commission has exempted wearable technology from rules requiring batteries that users can remove and replace, clearing the path for Meta’s latest smart glasses to enter the EU market.
Brussels has carved wearables out of its removable-battery law, with a timeline that is more complex than initial headlines suggest.
July 14, 2026 – 6:00 pm
Image by: TNW (Meta glasses) & Shutterstock
Background
The delegated act, adopted on Tuesday, adds six product categories to the exemption list, including wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers, electric toys, and equipment used in explosive atmospheres.
Parliament and national governments have 20 days to object. If they do not, the regulation will come into force.
Contrast with Other Devices
These battery rules are not obscure—under the Batteries Regulation, portable batteries in products sold in the EU must generally be removable and replaceable by consumers. The law has real teeth; for instance, Nintendo is discontinuing the original Switch in Europe rather than comply.
Lobbying and US Influence
The lobbying was notable. In March, US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder argued that the rules were so restrictive they prevented the sale of a jointly developed US-European product—specifically, Meta’s smart glasses. He emphasized the products’ style and called on Europe to focus on letting businesses grow and innovate.
The Commission denies giving in to pressure, and its timeline supports this denial. It launched the call for new exemptions in 2025, a year before Puzder’s comments.
Technical Exemptions
The exemption is not as sweeping as "exempted" implies; it requires that these batteries still be removable and replaceable by independent professionals, so end-user removal is waived but repairability remains.
There is also precedent: medical devices and wet appliances like electric toothbrushes are already exempt for safety reasons, based on technical and safety evidence.
Remaining Criticisms
Despite the Commission’s arguments, BEUC, Europe’s largest consumer organization, still calls it a dangerous precedent. They maintain that exemptions should be genuine exceptions based on technical and safety evidence, not industry pressure.