The same rule now applies to EU citizens who travel to Ukraine or Moldova, or communicate with users from those countries.
This regime has existed in the EU since 2017 and allows calls, SMS messages and mobile internet to be used abroad at the same price as at home, without hidden costs, while maintaining the quality of service and internet speed. Access to emergency services abroad is always free.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that by the end of 2026, roaming fees should be completely abolished for Montenegro and Albania. “This is good for the economy, tourism, but above all good for connecting people,” pointed out von der Leyen during a recent tour of the Western Balkans.
The path of Ukraine and Moldova to free roaming was long. Back in June 2022, Ukraine expressed interest in joining the European roaming regime and adjusted its legislation to EU standards. Already in April of the same year, telecom operators in Ukraine and the EU agreed on voluntary measures that enabled more favorable mobile connectivity for more than four million Ukrainian refugees in the EU after the Russian invasion.
Moldova has gradually reduced roaming prices since 2024, and now they are fully equalized with European users, achieving full integration into the EU internal market, according to the 2016 Association Agreement.
The European Union is already working on expanding the free roaming zone to the entire Western Balkans, and the first steps in this were made by signing a declaration at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana in December 2022. Following the agreement of 38 telecom operators, the reduction in roaming prices came into effect on October 1, 2023.
(Vijesti.ba)
