The European Commission has proposed opening negotiations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia in order to integrate them into the EU “Roaming as at home” regime, the Commission announced.
Once the agreements are finalized with each of the partners and fully aligned with EU roaming rules, people traveling between the EU and the Western Balkans will be able to make calls, send text messages and use mobile data without additional roaming charges.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Today we are taking a significant step on the way for our Western Balkan partners to join the EU roaming family. This is good news for citizens and businesses alike.”
Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement, said:
“Roaming charges are a problem for people across the Western Balkans. They affect workers crossing borders or families who simply want to stay in touch. Sudden bills or higher fees when traveling are something we no longer know within the EU. Today we proposed to extend this to the Western Balkans. This would mean easier calls and mobile data that work at home prices.”
