 adopted on Friday the proposal to include roaming in the Association Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Moldova. Once the procedures are completed, Moldovan citizens traveling in EU member states will be able to make calls at the rates applied in the Republic of Moldova, and EU citizens will enjoy the same rights when traveling to Moldova, as stated in the EC's press release.){kind=link}
The European Commission (EC) adopted on Friday the proposal to include roaming in the Association Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Moldova. Once the procedures are completed, Moldovan citizens traveling in EU member states will be able to make calls at the rates applied in the Republic of Moldova, and EU citizens will enjoy the same rights when traveling to Moldova, as stated in the EC’s press release.
According to the press release, Moldova’s inclusion in the EU “roam like at home” area is one of the key actions of the EU-Moldova Priority Action Plan, agreed upon in June 2023. This plan serves as a roadmap for the implementation of the EU-Republic of Moldova Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and for further integration of Moldova into the EU’s single market.
“Today we are one step closer to including the Republic of Moldova in the EU’s free roaming area. In the future, citizens of the EU and Moldova will be able to make phone calls, send SMS messages, and use the internet without any additional costs when traveling abroad—just like with the ‘Roam like at home’ service that Europeans are familiar with. This will make life easier for Moldovan citizens coming to the EU and help EU citizens traveling to Moldova. It demonstrates that Moldova’s future lies within the EU,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade at the EC.
Today’s step follows the joint declaration of May 31 by telecommunications operators from the EU and Moldova regarding the voluntary reduction of roaming charges from January 1, 2024, facilitated by the EC. The EC will allow the updating of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement by adding the latest EU legislation on telecommunications and postal services, as mentioned in the institution’s press release.
The proposal adopted on September 1 will be analyzed and approved by the EU Council. Subsequently, the Annex to the Association Agreement must be amended to include the latest EU legislation on telecommunications and postal services in the Republic of Moldova, and once this is implemented, the “roam like at home” service will be applicable to Moldovan citizens.