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The European Commission (EC) has proposed launching negotiations with the six Western Balkan countries to include them in the European Union's "Roam Like at Home" regime (No additional fees).
The European Commission's "Roam Like at Home" program is an EU regulation that enables mobile phone users to use their phones in other member states at the same prices as in their own country.
This means that when using a mobile phone in the European Union area, there are no additional roaming costs for calls, SMS messages and internet use.
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, assessed that roaming costs pose a problem for citizens in the Western Balkan countries.
" Roaming charges are a problem throughout the Western Balkans. For workers working abroad and families calling their loved ones abroad. Unexpected bills when you travel are something we no longer accept in the EU. Today we propose to start talks to include the Western Balkans in this ," Kos wrote in X.
With the proposal to launch negotiations, the European Commission seeks the approval of the Council of the EU to open negotiations with partners from the Western Balkans. Once the Council approves this request, the European Commission will negotiate bilateral agreements with each country in the region.
Once agreements on this issue are successfully concluded, they will pave the way for the Western Balkans to become part of the EU's "Roam Like at Home" area.
After the finalization of the agreements and full harmonisation with EU roaming rules, citizens travelling between the EU and the Western Balkans will be able to make calls, send messages and use internet services, without additional roaming charges.
The European Union launched “Roam Like at Home” in June 2017. It applies to EU member states and countries of the European Economic Area. In January this year, the regulation was extended to Ukraine and Moldova.
Currently, there is no confirmation from the European Commission as to when the implementation of this regulation for the countries of the region may begin, as according to EC officials, everything depends on negotiations with the relevant institutions in the region.
European Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso acknowledged that this is a complicated process.
" The timelines depend on the readiness of each of the Western Balkan partners to conclude bilateral agreements with the EU and to ensure their full harmonisation with the relevant legislation ," the EC spokesperson said.
The six Western Balkan states – Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia – also aim to one day become members of the bloc. Of the six countries, Kosovo is the last on the European path, as it is the only one that does not have candidate country status. Pristina has applied for EU membership at the end of 2022./ REL
Shum bukur Bravo BE; Ubëfsh nuse e Re.Hidhi syt edhe nga NE moj faqja portokalle,meqënse na cive në DHE me ato NAZE që më ke.