The European Commission proposed to expand the effect of mobile roaming to Ukraine.
“Today, Ukraine has become one step closer to the EU’s free roaming zone, as the European Commission has adopted a proposal to include the issue of roaming in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. When this happens, Ukrainian tourists will no longer have to pay additional fees for using a mobile phone while traveling to EU, and travelers from the EU will have the same rights when visiting Ukraine,” the commission said in a statement.
The commission emphasizes that Ukraine joining the free roaming zone will be the first case of the extension of the EU internal market regime to Ukraine.
As noted, today’s step is a continuation of the European Commission’s cooperation with EU and Ukrainian operators with the aim of introducing voluntary measures to ensure affordable or free calls between the EU and Ukraine, the validity period of which was recently extended.
As of today, telecommunications operators of the EU and Ukraine offer affordable or free calls between the EU and Ukraine on a voluntary basis in connection with the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation and the departure of a significant number of Ukrainians to European countries. Thanks to this arrangement, around 4 million people fleeing war have an affordable connection while in the EU.
Recently, these voluntary measures were extended for six months, and the new arrangement now also covers calls to landline numbers in Ukraine, as well as new types of operators.
Now the proposal of the European Commission must be considered by the Council of the European Union.
After the decision of the Council, further approval by the Committee on Trade between Ukraine and the EU is required.
The pace of integration of Ukraine into the EU internal market in the field of roaming will depend on the pace of approximation and implementation of the relevant EU legislation in Ukraine, the European Commission emphasized.