MEP Alex Agius Saliba has been appointed by the Socialists & Democrats group as the political negotiator on extending the current ban on roaming charges beyond 2022 within the internal market and consumer protection committee (IMCO).

Since 2017, European citizens have been enjoying a ban on roaming that allows them to connect anywhere in the EU, at no extra cost. 

The roaming regulation was agreed for five years and is set to expire in June 2022. Therefore, the Commission has published a new proposal to extend the current ban on roaming charges across the EU for another 10 years.

Agius Saliba said that once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control, people will start travelling again, and they will want to continue enjoying their rights.

As part of the IMCO negotiating team, Agius Saliba is also tasked to ensure that telecom operators guarantee the same quality of services to consumers when using their phone in another EU country. 

He said it is not acceptable anymore that consumers pay to get a certain quality and have better access and data speed at home, but are downgraded to lower network, reducing the quality of their service, when they travel.

“We also need to introduce cut-off limits so that consumers are informed when they reach a certain limit while abroad, and still have free access to services of social value such as non-emergency medical on-call service and assistance services.

"Last but not least, we should add non-terrestrial networks so that people are connected even in aircraft and vessels, such as boats and ferries at no extra charge,” Agius Saliba said.