EU Commission wants to extend and strengthen roaming rules
When traveling within the EU there is no need to worry about roaming charges. (Photo: LDprot / Shutterstock)
No time right now?
There are no roaming charges when traveling within the EU. The EU Commission wants to extend the relevant regulation – and improve it in some areas.
Since 2017, EU citizens can no longer pay a surcharge for mobile phone connections in other EU countries. The anti-roaming regulation expires in 2022 and is then to be extended by ten years, like that Proposed by the EU Commission Has.
Compared to the previous regulation, the new roaming regulation strengthens the rights of travelers with regard to the quality of the connection and access to emergency services.
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Reliable connection on EU trips
If an equivalent network is available abroad as in the home country, EU travelers should be entitled to the same quality in future. The latest Eurobarometer showed that a third of respondents when traveling abroad in the EU have a slower internet connection than at home. That should change with the new regulation.
“In Europe’s digital decade, everyone everywhere in Europe must be able to rely on excellent connectivity, just as they do at home,” said Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner responsible for the internal market, according to a press release.
Access to the emergency number
The new regulation is intended to ensure that travelers can reach the emergency call free of charge and their location is transmitted – regardless of whether the emergency call is made by phone, SMS or app. Information about emergency services in the country of travel should also be made available to people with disabilities.
