Brussels – In a significant step towards closer integration between the European Union and Ukraine, the European Commission on 17 June unveiled a proposal to formally integrate Kyiv into the EU’s ‘Roam Like at Home’ area from 1 January 2026.
The initiative would allow Ukrainian citizens to use their mobile phones across the EU—making calls, sending texts, and using data—without incurring additional charges. The same benefits would apply to EU citizens travelling in Ukraine.
“We want Ukrainian citizens to stay connected to their loved ones across the EU, as well as in their home country,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. If unanimously approved by the Council—including Hungary—this would mark the first instance of the EU extending internal market treatment to Ukraine.
The proposal follows Ukraine’s formal notification to the Commission that it had aligned its national roaming legislation with EU standards, in accordance with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement—a key precondition for accessing the EU roaming area. Following its assessment, the Commission concluded that Kyiv meets all necessary requirements to implement the EU roaming rules.
What is the EU roaming area
Since 2017, the Roam like at Home rules have enabled EU consumers to use mobile services—calls, texts, and data—across member states at the same cost as in their home country. These rules ensure not only fair pricing, but also consistent quality: users must have access to the same network speed and service standards wherever they are in the EU. Access to emergency services remains free of charge, as is customary throughout the Union.
Beyond the EU’s borders, plans are underway to expand the EU roaming area to include the Western Balkans. At the EU–Western Balkans Summit held in Tirana in December 2022, leaders signed a declaration committing to the gradual reduction of data roaming charges between the two blocs. This commitment took effect on 1 October 2023, following an agreement among 38 European and Balkan telecommunications operators, with the ultimate goal of fully eliminating additional roaming fees by 2028.
With regard to Ukraine, the Commission’s proposal also responds to a formal request from Kyiv, which expressed its interest in joining the EU’s roaming regime in June 2022. Furthermore, in April 2022, European and Ukrainian operators agreed to voluntary measures providing affordable mobile connectivity to over four million refugees who had sought shelter in the EU after fleeing the Russian invasion. This agreement has now been extended until the end of 2025, in preparation for Ukraine’s potential integration into the EU roaming area from next year.
The state of EU-Ukraine relations
Just four days after the start of Russia’s war of aggression, on 28 February 2022, Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership. On 23 June 2022, the European Council endorsed the European Commission’s recommendation to grant Kyiv candidate status. At the European Council meeting on 14 December 2023, EU leaders gave the green light to open accession negotiations. Following the Council’s approval of the negotiating frameworks, the first intergovernmental conferences were held on 25 June 2024 in Luxembourg.
With the aim of opening the first EU accession negotiation cluster in the first half of 2025, the screening process has been ongoing since last autumn. As recognised by the Council, progress has been made in areas such as the rule of law, judicial and public administration reform—with the renewal of the judiciary being a key focus—alongside efforts to strengthen freedom of expression and media independence, and further enhance the anti-corruption institutional framework.
As anticipated by Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, both Ukraine and Moldova “are ready” for Cluster 1 – Fundamentals to be opened. The first group of five negotiating chapters focuses on economic criteria, the functioning of democratic institutions, and public administration reform. Moreover, Commissioner Kos has made it public that two additional screenings have been sent to the Council for both Chișinău and Kiev—on Cluster 2 – ‘Internal Market’ and Cluster 6 – ‘External Relations’. The unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states in the Council is now the only step required.
