Metsola welcomes agreement to end roaming charges by 2017

While roaming prices will decrease drastically already in 2016, they will be completely phased out by June 2017.

30 June 2015, 10:40am
by Staff Reporter

2 min read

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola welcomed the agreement in negotiations between the European Parliament and EU member states to end mobile phone roaming charges completely from June 2017.

While roaming prices will decrease drastically already in 2016, they will be completely phased out by June 2017. The agreement means that as of 15 June 2017, consumers will pay the same price for calls, texts and mobile data as at home wherever they are travelling in the EU with no extra charge.

Roaming fees will already go down on 30 April 2016, when the current retail caps will be replaced by a maximum surcharge of €0.05 per minute for calls, €0.02 for SMSs and €0.05 per megabyte for data.

“We have come a long way. This makes us more competitive and is good news for consumers, for businesses, for Malta and removes yet another barrier to a true single digital market in Europe,” Metsola said.

“Ever since I was elected as MEP for Malta and Gozo and as a Member of the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committee (IMCO), this has been an issue I have constantly pushed forward. I am delighted that there is finally an agreement and an concrete date to end this outdated and unfair business practice that so many people have wanted gone. We would have preferred had the charges been phased out completely even this year, but this is a delicate compromise and some States needed a transitional period to implement this fully.”

The agreement also contains important net neutrality provisions that guarantee an open and neutral Internet that protects the right of every citizen to access the Internet without discrimination.

The agreement will now have to be formally adopted by the Council and the European Parliament.

The Latvian presidency yesterday reached a provisional deal with the European Parliament on new rules to end mobile phone roaming fees and safeguard open internet access, also known as net neutrality rules. For the Council, the agreement still has to be confirmed by member states.