Ukraine to join European roaming zone, saving citizens from extra fees and hassles
The EU Council approved the initiative to include Ukraine in the European roaming zone (Photo:LDProd / Depositphotos)
The European Council has approved the European Commission’s proposal to include the agreement on a free mobile roaming zone with Ukraine in the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation reported on Telegram on April 18.
“We are getting closer to mobile roaming with the EU. To prevent Ukrainians from paying additional communication fees in Europe, or Europeans from paying them in Ukraine, the EU Council has approved the (European Commission’s) proposal and given ‘green light’ for a bilateral decision,” said Ministry of Digital Transformation head, Mykhailo Fedorov.
The move will decrease costs for Ukrainians to call relatives in Europe, and operators will cease from charing 30 UAH per minute for calls. The requirement to change SIM cards during trips to Europe will also be eliminated.
Once passed, the consumer rights of Ukrainians will be protected under EU rules.
Once approved by the European Council, the final decision must also be approved by the EU-Ukraine Trade Committee. The committee will need to adopt a joint decision to provide a mutual internal market for roaming.
Earlier, it was reported that EU regulators proposed allowing Ukrainians to use the bloc’s free mobile roaming zone.
Currently, EU and Ukrainian operators offer affordable or free calls between the EU and Ukraine on a voluntary basis.
Thanks to this agreement, about 4 million Ukrainian refugees in the EU have access to affordable communication.
Voluntary measures were recently extended for six months, and the new procedure now also applies to calls to fixed-line numbers in Ukraine.
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