# EU roaming expansion in the Western Balkans

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/eu-roaming-expansion-in-the-western-balkans
> Updated: 2026-08-24T18:57:12.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

The European Commission has initiated steps to expand the ‘Roaming like at home’ zone to the Western Balkans, aiming to eliminate additional roaming charges for mobile services such as calls, SMS, and internet data.

Initially, negotiations were announced to include Albania and Montenegro, with a target integration date of late 2026 or early 2027. While the broader EU strategy seeks to include all Western Balkan nations by 2028, North Macedonia was not included in this specific phase of negotiations.

Following this, the Commission proposed opening negotiations to extend the regime to all six partner countries in the region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. To participate, these nations must align their national legislation with EU roaming rules and implement the EU acquis in electronic communications. In response, Bosnia and Herzegovina has begun procedures to form a negotiating team and prepare a draft framework for these talks.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-24: EU proposes extending roaming regulations to Western Balkans

The EU is proposing to extend its ‘Roam Like At Home’ regime to the Western Balkans, aiming to eliminate roaming fees for travelers between the EU and Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northm

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/eu-proposes-extending-roaming-regulations-to-western-balkans

### 2026-08-20: Albania and Montenegro selected for EU roaming expansion

Albania and Montenegro are slated to join the EU’s ‘Roaming like at home’ zone by 2027, while North Macedonia was excluded from this initial phase of negotiations.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/albania-and-montenegro-selected-for-eu-roaming-expansion

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Cite as: EU roaming expansion in the Western Balkans. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/eu-roaming-expansion-in-the-western-balkans
