Western Balkan Mobile Users Eye EU Roaming Relief
Talks to extend Roam Like at Home to six partners are at the negotiation stage, with no start date set.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Telecommunications
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The European Commission has opened bilateral negotiations to bring Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia into the EU's Roam Like at Home regime, which would allow calls, texts and mobile data use without roaming surcharges. The talks, authorized by the Council of the EU in June 2026, are at the negotiation stage; no roaming-free service exists yet for these partners.
Why it matters
The agreements are anchored to the existing Stabilisation and Association Agreements and are framed as support for regional stability and economic integration with the EU. Extending the roaming area is a step in the Western Balkans' closer alignment with EU telecom rules.
The source reports the number of partners (six) and the authorizing Council decision from June 2026 but gives no pricing, bandwidth or rate-cap figures for the planned arrangement. Measured service terms are therefore not yet available.
The players
European Commission
The EU's executive body, which negotiates trade and integration agreements and runs the Roam Like at Home regime.
Council of the EU
The EU body of member-state governments that authorized the June 2026 talks and must approve any extension of the roaming area.
Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission, who announced the roaming extension during her October 2026 Western Balkans trip.
The details
Roam Like at Home is the EU scheme that removes roaming surcharges for travelers within the bloc. Under the planned approach, bilateral agreements with each partner would extend those rules so that calls, texts and mobile data work between the EU and the Western Balkans at domestic-style prices. The Commission will not extend the roaming area until agreements are finalised and each partner fully aligns with EU roaming rules.
Timeline
June 2026: Council of the EU authorized talks on extending the roaming scheme.
October 2026: Ursula von der Leyen announced the extension during Western Balkans travel.
November 6, 2026: The Commission opened bilateral negotiations with the partners.
The Tech Race
The move extends the EU's roaming framework outward through the Stabilisation and Association Agreement network rather than through new telecom standards. It reflects the EU's broader approach of tying digital and telecom rules to its accession and partnership frameworks.
Travelers and residents in the six partner countries would eventually use calls, texts and data in the EU without roaming charges once agreements are finalised. No start date or pricing has been announced, so the change is not yet available to users.
The takeaway
The extension depends on each bilateral agreement being finalised and every partner aligning fully with EU roaming rules, so the Commission's next formal step is to invite the Council once that happens. Watch for the Council's invitation as the signal that the roaming area is actually expanding.
Further reading
For background on how these mobile networks are built and regulated, see the Telecommunications coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood.
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