EU Opens Talks to Extend Roam Like at Home to the Western Balkans: What Changes Next
The European Commission has opened negotiations that could bring Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia into the EU roaming area.
The European Commission has opened bilateral negotiations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to extend the EU's Roam Like at Home regime to the Western Balkans. The move could eventually allow travellers to use mobile services across EU and Western Balkans borders without the usual roaming surcharge, but it is not yet in force. Each partner must first conclude an agreement and fully align with EU roaming rules.
The Commission opened the negotiations on November 6, 2026, following a Council decision on June 4 that authorised the talks. The process is a concrete step toward progressively integrating the six Western Balkan partners into the EU roaming area. The European Commission's official announcement on the negotiations makes clear that any extension depends on positive outcomes in the sectoral agreements and alignment with the EU framework.
For companies whose staff regularly travel between the EU and the Western Balkans, the announcement matters because mobile connectivity can affect travel budgets, employee communications and access to cloud-based work tools. However, businesses should not change roaming policies or assume new tariff treatment yet. The negotiations have begun, rather than produced an operational expansion.
What the negotiations would change
Roam Like at Home is the EU regime designed to let mobile users use their domestic mobile plan while travelling in the roaming area, subject to applicable EU rules. The proposed extension would move the Western Balkans beyond their existing regional roaming arrangements and toward participation in the wider EU framework.
The six partners already have arrangements that reduce roaming charges when people travel within the Western Balkans. The new negotiations concern a different objective: applying the EU's roaming acquis through sectoral agreements anchored in each partner's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU.
| Situation | Geographic scope | Roaming position |
|---|---|---|
| Existing regional arrangement | Travel within the Western Balkans | Reduced roaming charges within the region |
| Current EU roaming area | EU, EEA, Moldova and Ukraine | Roam Like at Home framework applies |
| Proposed extension | EU and six Western Balkan partners | Possible only after agreements are concluded and partners align with EU rules |
The distinction is important. Reduced charges inside the Western Balkans do not mean that Roam Like at Home already applies when crossing between an EU country and a Western Balkan partner. The Commission's November announcement starts the formal process intended to close that gap.
Conditions and timeline remain open
The Commission first proposed opening negotiations on February 25, 2026. The Council then authorised them on June 4, and the Commission formally opened bilateral talks on November 6. No completion date is specified in the supplied official information.
Before the Council can extend the EU roaming area, the process requires several outcomes:
- sectoral agreements must be negotiated with each of the six Western Balkan partners;
- each partner must fully align with EU roaming rules; and
- the Council must adopt the extension after those requirements are met.
This means the outcome may not take effect at the same time for every partner. Until the agreements are finalised and the required alignment is complete, mobile operators' existing plans, roaming conditions and charges remain the relevant terms for travellers.
What businesses should do now
The practical value of a future extension is straightforward. Staff travelling for sales meetings, supplier visits, field work or regional events could potentially rely on mobile data, calls and messaging under EU-like no-extra-surcharge conditions. That could make mobile connectivity easier to plan across a broader regional footprint.
For now, the sensible response is preparation rather than a policy change. Businesses with regular travel in the region can:
- identify which teams, routes and mobile plans generate the most roaming use;
- check current operator terms for travel between the EU and each Western Balkan market; and
- keep expense and travel guidance clear, especially where employees depend on data for navigation, authentication, customer communication or work applications.
The announcement also gives businesses a useful signal to separate two questions that are often conflated: what a regional roaming arrangement covers today, and what an EU roaming-area extension could cover later. Procurement or finance teams should continue to evaluate actual bills and contractual conditions rather than budgeting on the expectation of future regulatory treatment.
Businesses that manage frequent cross-border travel can use this transition as a reason to streamline travel approvals, expense capture and employee communications. Scalevise can assess where repetitive administrative work can be reduced through AI workflow automation for operational processes, connecting the tools teams already use and keeping people informed at the right point in a trip. That can improve visibility before roaming rules change, not only after. Discuss an AI automation project with Scalevise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Western Balkan partners are included in the EU negotiations?
The negotiations cover Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Does Roam Like at Home already apply between the EU and the Western Balkans?
No. The Commission has opened negotiations, but the extension will apply only if agreements are concluded, the partners align with EU roaming rules and the Council adopts the extension.
What did the Council decide in June 2026?
On June 4, 2026, the Council authorised negotiations on extending the Roam Like at Home scheme to the six Western Balkan partners.
What roaming arrangements exist in the Western Balkans today?
The Western Balkans already have regional arrangements that reduce roaming charges for travel within the region. Those arrangements are distinct from participation in the EU roaming area.
Conclusion
The EU's new negotiations make an extension of Roam Like at Home to the Western Balkans a formal policy process rather than a distant aspiration. The potential benefit for travellers and businesses is clearer cross-border mobile use, but it remains conditional on bilateral agreements, full alignment with EU rules and a final Council decision. Until then, organisations should continue to rely on current operator terms while monitoring the negotiations.