The Council of the European Union supported the decision to include joint roaming in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. The final decision will be made by the Ukraine-EU Association Committee in Trade Configuration. This was announced by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, who is also Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology of Ukraine.
Fedorov assured that the Ministry of Digital Transformation jointly with NKEK, operators and the telecommunications regulator are already working to Ukraine joining mobile roaming zone in the nearest time. If such a decision is adopted in the EU, Ukrainians will no longer have to pay any additional fees for the use of mobile phones while traveling in the EU. Accordingly, travelers from the EU will receive the same rights when visiting Ukraine. In addition, the rights of Ukrainian consumers will be protected according to EU rules.
As noted by the European Commission, joining Ukraine to the EU free roaming zone is one of the key measures of the revised Priority Action Plan. This plan is a road map for the full implementation of the "deep and comprehensive" free trade area between the EU and Ukraine and the further integration of Ukraine into the EU Single Market. EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that this is the first case when the EU can include a country that is not part of the EU and the European Economic Area in joint roaming on a long-term basis.
However, as noted by the European Commission, the speed of Ukraine's integration into the internal EU roaming market will depend on the pace of convergence and implementation of the relevant EU legislation in Ukraine. European and Ukrainian operators are currently offering affordable or free calls between the EU and Ukraine on a voluntary basis.
