The European Commission has proposed opening negotiations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia regarding the abolition of roaming.
As announced, once the agreements are finalized and fully aligned with EU roaming rules, there will be no additional roaming charges for calls, SMS messages, and the use of mobile data when traveling to European Union countries.
This will mean connectivity at domestic prices not only for citizens and business entities from the Western Balkans visiting the EU, but also for travelers from the EU to Western Balkan countries.
The agreement will enable easier and more affordable communication for people and companies.
Roaming charges are a problem across the Western Balkans. For cross-border workers and families calling loved one abroad.
— Marta Kos (@MartaKosEU) February 25, 2026
Surprise bills when travelling are something we no longer accept in the EU.
Today, we proposed to start talks to extend this to the Western Balkans. pic.twitter.com/jzenTQgEEO
By adopting the proposal for negotiating mandates today, the Commission is asking the Council for approval to open negotiations with the Western Balkan states. After the Council adopts the decision, the Commission will negotiate bilateral agreements with each partner individually.
The Commission’s proposal aims to upgrade and improve existing voluntary roaming obligations between individual mobile operators in the EU and the Western Balkans. These voluntary initiatives already allow travelers to use reduced roaming tariffs when moving between these two regions. In addition, citizens of Western Balkan states benefit from reduced tariffs when traveling within the region, under the regional roaming agreement for the Western Balkans.
Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, pointed out that roaming charges represent a problem across the Western Balkans.
“Unexpected bills during travel are something we no longer accept in the EU. Today we proposed the initiation of negotiations in order to extend this regime to the Western Balkans as well,” she emphasized in a post.
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Source: N1; Photo: Pexels