The Commission proposes to integrate Ukraine into the EU Roaming area as from January 2026. This will enable Ukrainians to call, text and use their mobile data from Ukrainian phone numbers in the 27 EU countries at no extra cost, and extend the same benefits to Europeans who may be in Ukraine.
Commission President von der Leyen said: “We want Ukrainian citizens to stay connected to their loved ones across the EU, as well as in their home country. That’s why we propose that Ukraine join our roaming family. Once more, we reaffirm our continued commitment to stand by Ukraine and its citizens.”
Roaming is the first area where the EU would extend internal market treatment to Ukraine.
In practice, this means that travellers from Ukraine visiting the EU, and travellers from the EU visiting Ukraine will not pay any extra roaming fees. The use of all mobile services, including calls, SMS messages and data will be charged at domestic rates. The agreement also ensures consumers are entitled to the same mobile network quality and speed as at home and that access to emergency services is free of charge.
Moreover, the current agreement between EU and Ukrainian telecommunications operators will be extended until 31 December 2025. This will ensure that Europeans and Ukrainians can continue to enjoy the benefits of the common roaming area until Ukraine effectively joins the EU Roaming area.
The Commission has sent the proposal adopted today to the Council for its approval. According to it, Ukraine would effectively join the EU ‘Roam like at Home’ area on 1 January 2026. This will allow both the EU and Ukrainian operators to technically implement the ‘Roam like at Home’ requirements in the meantime.
Since 2017, the Roam like at Home rules allow EU consumers, while travelling, to continue to call and transfer data across EU borders for the same cost as at home, and with the same mobile network quality and speed.
The Commission’s proposal adopted today follows the interest expressed by Ukraine to join the EU RLAH area in June 2022. President von der Leyen announced at the 2022 State of the Union the intention to work with Ukraine for its integration into the EU roaming area as soon as possible.
In April 2022, European and Ukrainian operators agreed on voluntary measures to allow over 4 million refugees to have affordable access to connectivity as they sought shelter in the EU. This agreement, which has been extended until now, allowed for roaming without surcharges and affordable international calls for EU and Ukrainian citizens abroad.
In line with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, Ukraine notified in June 2025 the full alignment of its roaming legislation with that of the EU, which was one of the conditions to access the EU roaming area. Following its assessment, the Commission determined that Ukraine meets the necessary requirements for implementing the EU roaming rules. On this ground, today the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council decision to include Ukraine in the EU roaming area.
Джерело: eu-ua.kmu.gov.ua
