The EU Commission proposes to integrate Ukraine into the EU Roaming area from January 2026, enabling Ukrainians to call, text and use mobile data from Ukrainian phone numbers at no extra cost.
The agreement would also extend the same benefits to Europeans who may be in Ukraine.
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.
This reaffirms the EU’s continued commitment to stand by Ukraine, said Commission president Ursula von der Leyen: “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.”
The current agreement between EU and Ukrainian telecommunications operators will be extended until 31 December 2025. This, says the Commission, 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 EU executive has now sent the proposal adopted today to the Council for its approval. Ukraine would effectively join the EU ‘Roam like at Home’ area on 1 January 2026, allowing both EU and Ukrainian operators to technically implement the ‘Roam like at Home’ requirements in the meantime.
