EU Opens Roaming Talks With Western Balkans
The European Commission has begun bilateral negotiations to bring six Western Balkan partners into the Roam Like at Home regime.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Telecommunications
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The European Commission opened bilateral negotiations to integrate Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia into the EU's Roam Like at Home regime. Under the scheme, calls, text messages and mobile data use between the EU and the region would carry no roaming surcharges.
Why it matters
The agreements are intended to support the region's stability and economic integration and closer cooperation with the EU. They will be anchored to the existing Stabilisation and Association Agreements.
The negotiations cover six partners: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Terms of the roaming arrangement and the date of final alignment with EU roaming rules remain undetermined.
The players
European Commission
The executive arm of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation and negotiating agreements with non-member countries.
Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission, who announced the roaming extension during her travel to the Western Balkans.
Council of the European Union
The EU body representing member state governments, which authorized the roaming negotiations and will approve the final extension of the roaming area.
The details
The Council of the EU authorized the talks in June 2026, and the Commission has since opened bilateral negotiations with each partner. Once agreements are finalised and partners fully align with EU roaming rules, the Commission will invite the Council to extend the EU roaming area.
Timeline
June 2026: Council of the EU authorizes talks on extending the EU roaming scheme.
October 2026: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announces the extension during a Western Balkans trip.
November 6, 2026: Commission opens bilateral negotiations with the partner countries.
Telecom Trajectory
The initiative extends the EU's Roam Like at Home regulation, which removed mobile roaming surcharges within the bloc, to Western Balkan partners tied to the EU through Stabilisation and Association Agreements. It marks an effort to apply the single-market roaming model to candidate and partner states outside the union.
If the agreements are finalised, travelers and residents could make calls, send texts and use mobile data between the EU and the six partner countries without roaming surcharges. The timing of implementation depends on completing negotiations and alignment with EU roaming rules.
The takeaway
The extension would apply EU single-market roaming rules beyond the bloc, but no implementation date has been set. Readers planning travel to the region should watch for the final agreements and Council action.
What happens next
Once agreements are finalised and partners align with EU roaming rules, the Commission will invite the Council to extend the EU roaming area.
Further reading
For background on how mobile service rules are set across markets, see Telecommunications coverage.
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Should the EU extend free mobile roaming to the Western Balkans?
