Reduced Mobile Roaming Fees in the EU Announced
The European Commission has announced a series of changes aimed at making mobile communication within the EU more affordable. The key change is a significant reduction in the maximum cost of a text message and mobile internet data, with the fee for a text message now set at 8 Euro cents (7p) and the maximum fee per MB of data at 45 Euro cents (39p).
These reductions are a result of actions taken by the European Union, with the ultimate goal of creating a seamless telecommunications market across the continent. Neelie Kroes, former European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, has been a driving force behind these reforms, advocating for a single telecommunications market, including the abolition of roaming charges.
The "Roam Like at Home" regulation, which started in 2017, has already eliminated roaming charges for EU member states. The EU has recently extended this benefit to Ukraine, and Moldova will join the EU’s Roam Like at Home zone starting January 1, 2026. For the Western Balkans region, a roaming declaration signed in December 2022 established reductions in data roaming charges starting October 1, 2023.
However, EU Member States have not yet abolished all intra-EU high charges for communications that occur domestically but are billed as cross-border. This issue remains under legislative discussion and consumer pressure. Kroes plans to propose a "strong package" of telecommunications reforms to the European Parliament this summer, with the hope that the proposed reforms will be adopted before next year's elections.
It's important to note that these changes do not apply to fees charged for using mobile data outside of the EU. The European Commission has released an infographic detailing the full rate changes for mobile communication within the EU, providing a clear overview of the reductions in fees for calls, texts, and data.
With these changes, EU citizens can look forward to more affordable mobile communication within the EU and beyond, as the EU continues to work towards a truly unified telecom market.
[1] European Commission. (n.d.). Roaming charges in the EU. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/consumer-protection/consumer-rights-information/roaming-charges-eu_en
[2] European Commission. (2022, December 15). Reductions in data roaming charges between the EU and Western Balkans countries. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_1100
[3] European Commission. (n.d.). Intra-EU surcharges. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/consumer-protection/consumer-rights-information/intra-eu-surcharges_en
- The European Commission, through its proposed telecommunications reforms, aims to introduce measures that will reduce data roaming charges between the EU and Western Balkans countries, as explained in the statement from December 15, 2022.
- Neelie Kroes, a former European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, has advocated for a single telecommunications market that includes not only the elimination of roaming charges, but also the abolition of intra-EU high charges for domestic communications, a issue still under discussion among EU Member States.
