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BackLast week, the Latvian Council Presidency made an attempt to get matters moving again with regard to the roaming debate, which over recent months had faded into the background. The intention in its proposal, which had been prepared in cooperation with other diplomats of the Council, is to delay the abolition of roaming charges until 2018. In April 2014, the European Parliament had spoken in favour of ending roaming charges within the EU from December 2015.
On 3 April 2014, the European Parliament supported the notion of abolishing roaming charges within the EU for telephone calls, SMS and data services from 15 December 2015. The idea was to charge mobile customers staying in Member States of the EU for these services in the same way as if they had used them in their own country. However, even then one had planned to include a so-called “Fair Use” clause: the extent to which one would be charged with domestic fees in other Member States would be limited to avoid price increases.
The proposal by the Commission from September 2013 to also treat phone calls (from landline or mobile) and SMS to other EU countries as if they were domestic phone calls or messages was dismissed by Parliament in April.
After little was heard of the matter in recent months, the Latvian Council Presidency tabled a proposal which provides for European mobile phone customers to receive a small contingent of “free roaming” from the end of this year. The text speaks of 5 minutes telephony (active or passive), 5 SMS and 5 MB per day for at least 7 days. Within the borders mentioned, consumers would pay the same amount as if they were at home. Apart from that, roaming charges should remain; talk is of EUR 0.05 per minute (active) and MB and EUR 0.02 per SMS respectively. Passive calls too will be subject to charges once the contingent has been used up.
According to an evaluation by the Commission, roaming charges shall “finally” expire in 2018. The Council states as a reason for the compromise proposal that Member States would fear that “Roam like at home” might lead to increased domestic charges. It was important to prepare the market cautiously; that is why new regulations would also be introduced in the wholesale sector.
The subject of “phone calls/SMS to another country” is no longer mentioned at all – thus, once may definitely assume that a phone call or an SMS from Munich to Salzburg will remain significantly more expensive than a call from Munich to Berlin.
Further information:
Detailed legislative proposal by the Council on roaming
The proposal by the Commission from September 2013 to also treat phone calls (from landline or mobile) and SMS to other EU countries as if they were domestic phone calls or messages was dismissed by Parliament in April.
After little was heard of the matter in recent months, the Latvian Council Presidency tabled a proposal which provides for European mobile phone customers to receive a small contingent of “free roaming” from the end of this year. The text speaks of 5 minutes telephony (active or passive), 5 SMS and 5 MB per day for at least 7 days. Within the borders mentioned, consumers would pay the same amount as if they were at home. Apart from that, roaming charges should remain; talk is of EUR 0.05 per minute (active) and MB and EUR 0.02 per SMS respectively. Passive calls too will be subject to charges once the contingent has been used up.
According to an evaluation by the Commission, roaming charges shall “finally” expire in 2018. The Council states as a reason for the compromise proposal that Member States would fear that “Roam like at home” might lead to increased domestic charges. It was important to prepare the market cautiously; that is why new regulations would also be introduced in the wholesale sector.
The subject of “phone calls/SMS to another country” is no longer mentioned at all – thus, once may definitely assume that a phone call or an SMS from Munich to Salzburg will remain significantly more expensive than a call from Munich to Berlin.
Further information:
Detailed legislative proposal by the Council on roaming