On Tuesday, the European Commission (EC) put forward a proposal to integrate Ukraine into the EU roaming zone from January 2026.
“We want Ukrainian citizens to stay connected with their loved ones across the EU, as well as in their home country. That is why we are offering Ukraine to join our roaming family. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine and its citizens,” said EC President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to the European Commission’s press release, the implementation of its proposal will allow Ukrainians to call, send text messages, and use their mobile data from Ukrainian phone numbers in 27 EU countries at no extra cost. The same benefits will apply to Europeans who may be in Ukraine.
“Roaming is the first sector in which the EU will extend the internal market regime to Ukraine. In practice, this means that travelers from Ukraine visiting the EU and travelers from the EU visiting Ukraine will not pay any additional roaming charges. All mobile services, including calls, text messages, and data, will be charged at domestic rates,” Brussels explained.
The EC has sent its proposal to the EU Council for approval. According to the proposal, Ukraine will effectively join the EU’s “Roam Like at Home” zone on January 1, 2026, the European Commission said.
