Ukraine preparing to join EU's free roaming zone

That’s according to the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Ukrinform reports. 

The decision was made at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on April 7, 2023. 

The document provides to supplement, taking into account current changes in EU legislation, the lists and schedules for the adaptation of EU legislation in the telecommunications sector, in particular, regarding roaming in public mobile networks.

"Approval of the decision of the EU-Ukraine Association Committee in Trade Configuration will create conditions for Ukraine to acquire the internal market regime in the sphere of roaming. This year, this area will be a "pilot" for the full legal integration of Ukraine into the intra-European regulation," the First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko, said.

The government's approval of the draft decision on telecommunications is one of the stages of implementation of the Priority Action Plan to strengthen the Free Trade Agreement implementation.

This updated plan was approved by the Ministry of Economy and the European Commission. 

The main focus of this plan is Ukraine's integration into the EU's internal market.

"The plan provides for 29 measures that allow to complete existing projects, such as the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA), and start working on integration into the internal market in all areas, including updating the necessary annexes to the agreement, monitoring compliance with legislation, and approving decisions on market opening. I repeat, our goal is to integrate into the EU internal market without waiting for EU accession," Svyrydenko said.

She emphasized that this means integration in all relevant areas, "from customs and energy to food safety."

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said at the government meeting that Ukraine's accession to the EU roaming space would mean the introduction of modern and transparent rules in the telecommunications sector.

"Today, we have approved a document that will allow Ukraine to sign the agreement with the European Union this year. Joining the EU roaming space is not just about cancelling call charges, but also about modern, transparent European rules in the field of telecommunications," Shmyhal said.