Telecoms operators in the EU and Ukraine signed a joint declaration on 8 April on their efforts to secure and stabilise roaming and affordable or free international calls between the EU and Ukraine, says a statement from the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The statement was supported by 22 operators from the EU and Ukraine, including several EU-wide groups, as well as the association representing several mobile virtual network operators (MVNO Europe).
With more than 4.3 million refugees having arrived in the EU, these operators are committed to pursuing actions such as reducing or eliminating the cost of international calls or text messages, not charging roaming fees for Ukrainians who have arrived in Europe, or deploying mobile phone charging points. Several operators are also offering the use of wi-fi.
Since the beginning of the war, operators in the EU have “provided millions of SIM cards free of charge” to refugees, the statement recalls, and these actions also have a cost for these companies.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/16y (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)