Cell phone charges - Roaming agreement between EU and Ukraine extended
People from Ukraine can continue to use telephones, send messages, and use the internet within the EU for an additional year without high supplementary costs. The European Commission announced that the voluntary agreement between 22 European and seven Ukrainian telecommunications providers will be extended, enabling refugees from Ukraine to maintain cheaper contact with their homeland.
This is the fifth extension of the agreement. "We can only hope that affordable phone calls have provided some comfort", EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager stated.
Simultaneously, Ukraine has been working on a common roaming zone with the European Union. A corresponding law was signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in mid-June. Now, Ukraine must receive a positive evaluation of the legislative changes from the European side and commence negotiations on joining the single roaming area with the EU.
Since 2017, there have been no roaming charges in the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Consequently, mobile phone customers in the EU can make calls, send SMS messages, and surf the internet without additional costs while abroad.
- The extension of the voluntary agreement means that Ukrainian refugees in the EU will continue to incur fewer additional costs for using telecommunications services.
- The European Commission's announcement regarding the extension was welcomed as good news for Ukrainian refugees, as they can maintain cheaper contact with their homeland.
- As part of its efforts to integrate into Europe, Ukraine is negotiating with the EU to join the single roaming area, aiming to reduce costs for its citizens traveling within the EU.
- The European Commission and the EU Member States will review Ukraine's legislative changes before the country can officially join the single roaming area, eliminating additional costs for telecommunications services in Europe.
