The European Union is considering abolishing roaming charges for the Western Balkans. If negotiations succeed, citizens would be able to use mobile services in the EU at domestic rates, based on bilateral agreements.
The EU is examining the removal of additional roaming costs for the Western Balkans by extending the Roam Like at Home regime through bilateral arrangements.
The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union has scheduled a meeting of the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU for tomorrow in Brussels, where the European Commission’s proposal to abolish additional roaming charges for the Western Balkans – namely to extend the Roam Like at Home regime – will be discussed.
According to the agenda published on the Council’s website, the meeting will consider the Commission’s proposal for the European Union to begin negotiations with the Western Balkans on roaming agreements, as reported by Tanjug news agency.
If the negotiations are successfully concluded, citizens of Serbia and the entire Western Balkans would be able to make calls, send SMS messages, and use mobile data across Europe at domestic rates, while EU citizens travelling to the Western Balkans would enjoy the same benefits.
The proposal does not mean the automatic inclusion of the Western Balkans in the “Roam Like at Home” programme. Instead, it envisages that the European Union will conclude bilateral agreements with each Western Balkan partner, which will also be expected to align with EU roaming policy standards.
The agreement would also ensure that consumers have the right to the same quality and speed of mobile network services as at home, and that contacting emergency services remains free of charge.
The benefits of mobile roaming within the European Union were previously extended in July 2025 to Moldova and Ukraine.
The European Union originally introduced the Roam Like at Home regime for its member states in June 2017.
(Mondo, 07.04.2026)