The European Commission has launched negotiations on including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia in the European “Roam Like at Home” zone. If the process is successfully completed, subscribers from the European Union will be able to make calls, send SMS messages and use mobile data in the six countries under the terms of their national plans.
“This will mean easier calls and mobile data at prices comparable to those at home,” the European Commission said when presenting the proposal. For now, however, no agreements have been signed and no date for its entry into force has been announced. Each country will hold separate negotiations, which means that the six countries may not be included at the same time.
Mobile data in Albania can cost thousands of euros
The difference compared with the current prices is substantial. In Albania, one megabyte of data without an activated roaming option costs between €9.70 and €14 with French operators. At a price of €9.70, the theoretical cost of 1 GB, calculated as 1024 MB, reaches €9,932.80.
With SFR and RED, the rate is €13.20 per MB; with Orange and Sosh, €13.31; and with Bouygues Telecom and B&You, €14 per MB. The theoretical price of 1 GB therefore reaches €13,516.80, €13,629.44 and €14,336, respectively.
In practice, these amounts are limited by a cap on mobile data of €50 excluding VAT per billing period. The subscriber must receive a warning when 80 percent is reached, after which the data connection is cut off. The limit does not apply to calls and SMS messages, and the customer may request that it be removed.
What are the prices in Serbia and the other countries
According to Free’s tariffs, data in Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia is included only in the Free 5G+ plan. A call to France costs €1 per minute, while an incoming call costs €0.50 per minute.
In Albania and Kosovo, the same operator does not include any data, and the price is €9.70 per MB. Calls are charged at between €0.70 and €1.20 per minute. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, no data is included, with the price set at €7.50 per MB.
What happens next
The EU Council authorised the start of the negotiations in June 2026, and the European Commission opened them on 6 November. Before joining, each of the six countries must bring its roaming rules into line with European requirements, including those concerning wholesale prices and consumer protection.
After assessing compliance with the conditions, the European Commission will propose that the EU Council expand the zone. No deadline has been set at present. By comparison, Ukraine and Moldova gained access to “Roam Like at Home” on 1 January 2026, around six months after the Council’s decision in July 2025.
Until a final agreement is reached, travellers to the Western Balkans should check the terms of their operator and activate a special option or switch off mobile data while roaming. Since 2023, operators from the EU and the region have also offered capped prices under a voluntary agreement—below €18 per GB, €14 in 2026 and €9 in 2028. This, however, is not equivalent to using a mobile plan under domestic conditions.