"In a setback for Apple, the European Union seeks a common charger for all phones. "
If this were 2011 instead of 2021, I would be saying "Way to go EU! I can finally throw all of these Nokia and Motorola charging cables in the trashcan, where they belong!" Now I don't think it's such a good idea. Every company, including Apple seems to have voluntarily standardized on USB-C connectors (present laptop included). The only exception is Apple's peripheral devices and phones. This is not really such a big deal anyway. Where was the EU 10 years ago when I actually did have a drawer full of chargers?
I don't really believe the EU's expectations that this would actually spare chargers from landfills either, since I can attest that chargers and their cables wear out. In fact, it's good advice to carefully inspect cables before you plug them into devices (especially your phone) since damaged cables can seriously mess up your phone.
The one real advantage that I could possibly see in rigorously enforcing USB-C is the final realization of a low-voltage infrastructure. For background, most tech devices need to use low voltage DC to operate, but of course, power is distributed in the form of 115Volt (US) or 220Volt(EU) AC, which requires a transformer in each device. Since transformers are never 100% efficient, this means that each little power brick is uselessly converting your precious power into heat and radio interference. On a national scale, this adds up to a lot of waste. If we could move this power conversion step to a central location, by say... having one (more efficient) transformer per household which would then run to a second set of low-power outlets throughout your entire house that devices could plug into, we could greatly reduce these losses. Think about apartment buildings, schools, corporate offices, there are some real opportunities for avoiding these losses, but this all depends on having a unified standard for low voltage power. Perhaps standardizing on USB-C will now enable this. We just need everybody (including Apple) on the same page.
Cynicism aside, I think this might be the real reason why Apple prefers to use its lightening cable for phones--they're more robust than USB-C and stand up better to abuse. I can attest to this, having just recently replaced the charging port on my Android phone. The USB-C plugs seem uniquely vulnerable to manufacturers skimping on quality. Since it relies on a metal sheath, manufacturers can simply put in a thinner or flimsier sheath with consumers none the wiser. It's kind of a big deal if that's the only way available to charge your phone. I broke mine after about a year and had been on wireless charging since then. If the wireless charging failed for any reason (i.e., if I was foolish enough to disable it in the software) then once the phone ran out of juice, it would be a brick.
Call me old fashioned, but I just like my wires. I like having fewer of them to worry about, but seriously EU, where were you 10, 15, 20 years ago when we could have really used this type of action? Now it just seems like taking credit for self-imposed industry standardization.