Ukrainians will no longer have to pay additional fees for mobile services.

The European Commission proposes to include provisions on roaming in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

This will bring Ukraine closer to joining the EU free roaming zone, the press service of the European Commission reports.

“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 the EU, and travelers from the EU will have the same rights while traveling . visiting Ukraine,” the message reads.

The proposal will now be considered by the Council of the European Union. The pace at which Ukraine will be integrated into the internal EU market for roaming will depend on the pace of implementation of the relevant EU legislation in Ukraine.

It should be noted that the inclusion of Ukraine in the EU free roaming zone is one of the main points of the updated Priority Action Plan, which is a roadmap for the full implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone between Ukraine and the EU and the further integration of Ukraine into the EU Single Market. In addition, this case is the first case of the extension of the EU internal market regime to Ukraine.

We will remind you that the day before, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The mass media reported that one of the discussed issues was the expansion of the zone of mobile calls without roaming between the EU and Ukraine.

Roaming for Ukrainians in the EU

In April, 24 mobile operators of the EU and 3 mobile operators of Ukraine signed a statement on providing accessible and free roaming.

Currently, EU and Ukrainian telecommunications operators offer low-cost or free calls between the EU and Ukraine on a voluntary basis, so that around 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the war and seeking asylum in the EU have access to low-cost communications. Earlier in February, preferential roaming was extended for six months.