EU mobile phone roaming charges set to be slashed

Mobile phone roaming charges across the EU will be reduced by 75% as of Saturday, with a full ban set to begin next year.

Roaming charges across the EU will be capped at 5c per minute of call made, 2c per SMS sent, and 5c per megabyte of data, excluding VAT.

The limitations will be in place until 15 June 2017, when roaming charges will be completely banned across the EU.

European Commission vice-president Andrus Ansip hailed the decision as one that will “bring down barriers in the digital single market.”

EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said that the move proved that the EU could deliver tangible results to improve the daily life of EU citizens.

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola welcomed the news as “an important victory for consumers”.

“I have supported the end of roaming charges since my very first election campaign and as an MEP, I proudly supported the European Parliament’s bid to end these additional charges,” she said. “This is a great example of the very noticeable benefits of having a single EU market. It is one that leaves people with more money in their pockets and less worried about returning home from abroad to find a huge bill waiting.

“It is difficult for people to understand why we are meant to have a single market across 28 EU member states, but are then charged outrageous prices to use our phones in different EU countries.”

Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi said that she was one of the key negotiators on this legislation, that will mean “it will be so much easier to keep in touch with your loved ones while you are abroad.”

 “It is on days like today that I realise how my work as an MEP has a real impact on improving the daily lives of, not only Maltese citizens but also of all Europeans,” she said. “This gives me added motivation to carry on with my work as an MEP to try making a real difference in people's lives with the next step being to push for lower and unified rates for non-roaming, intra-EU mobile calls, which would ultimately translate to no extra costs when calling across borders.”