Roaming charges on mobile phones will be history from tomorrow, with the EU having finally having managed to conclude a process which started a decade ago.

Travellers will henceforth be charged the same rates for using their mobiles in any EU countries as they pay at home.

“The European Union is about bringing people together and making their lives easier. The end of roaming charges is a true European success story,” EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a joint statement with Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Malta regards the conclusion of the agreement to eliminate roaming charges as one of the high points of its EU presidency.

"From now on, citizens who travel within the EU will be able to call, text and connect on their mobile devices at the same price as they pay at home. Eliminating roaming charges is one of the greatest and most tangible successes of the EU," the EU leaders said.

The agreement applies only to tourism. People living in one country cannot permanently use a SIM card issued in another country.

In a separate statement, Melita said people travelling within the EU will now be able to use their mobile phone as they do in Malta, without extra charges, and incoming calls or SMS will be free, just like they are at home.

"Many of our customers benefit from mobile plans with allowances for calls, SMS or data which are either free, or charged at a discounted rate. Whilst roaming in the EU, these allowances will be counted exactly as if they were in Malta, and any charges for use over their monthly allowances will be at standard local rates."

The company also explained that Maltese mobile networks only work within the Maltese islands. When a customer leaves Malta they’ll no longer be using these networks. So if a Melita customer has a mobile plan which includes special rates for calls to Melita numbers any calls or SMS whilst roaming in the EU will be charged as calls to other networks.