Mizzi welcomes end of roaming charges, net neutrality guarantee

As part of the IMCO negotiating team, Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi was a major player in finalising the deal on the EU “telecoms package" for abolishing roaming charges and safeguarding net neutrality. “

In a comment shortly after the agreement was finalised, MEP Marlene Mizzi reconfirmed her commitment from last week and said that she did her utmost, as the S&D shadow rapporteur for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, to ensure that roaming charges are abolished as soon as possible. 

"I would have never agreed to a proposal maintaining roaming charges for a few more years during which our citizens will continue paying excessive bills whenever they travel and are abroad. I am happy the Member States have finally come to their senses and have realised the benefits for our citizens", said Mizzi.

"In the beginning of the negotiations, the Council had proposed kind of a basic roaming allowance, but thanks to the S&D negotiators we have managed to slowly change their position and move it towards the EU citizens and the position of the Parliament," said Marlene Mizzi.

She continued by saying that roaming charges will end by 15 June 2017, but consumers will start paying much less as of next year already, because the Parliament also managed to safeguard a transitional period and to lower dramatically the existing caps on roaming surcharges.”

“In addition, I am also very happy that Parliament has made a very important steps towards introducing one of the sturdiest rules in the world to secure net neutrality, where internet users cannot not be unfairly blocked or slowed down anymore, and paid prioritisation will not be allowed.

"At a request of the IMCO negotiating team, of which I am a part, we also managed to secure in the deal a very strong provisions provision to give consumers a right to better information about their contracts.  This deal is a great success for the European Union and for the Digital Single Market, but first and foremost it is a success for our citizens", said Mizzi.