The European Parliament's S&D Group has tabled an amendment to the 2025 Commission report on Albania, updating the text to reflect that the Council has already authorised negotiations on extending the EU's 'roam like at home' regime to the Western Balkans. The amendment, published on 9 June 2026, shifts the call for action from the Council to the European Commission and Western Balkan partners, urging them to implement the reciprocal opening of roaming markets.
The amendment targets paragraph 16 of the draft report by Andreas Schieder (S&D, Austria), which originally called on the Council to authorise the opening of negotiations. The S&D amendment acknowledges that the Council has already granted such authorisation and instead calls on the Commission and Western Balkan partners to take the necessary steps for swift implementation. The change reflects a more advanced stage of the legislative process and refocuses responsibility on the executive actors.
Policy orientations and trade-offs The amendment represents a procedural update but carries substantive implications. By recognising the Council's prior authorisation, it accelerates the timeline for implementation and places pressure on the Commission to facilitate the reciprocal opening of roaming markets. This could benefit EU travellers and businesses in the Western Balkans by reducing roaming charges, but may also require Western Balkan partners to adjust their regulatory frameworks, potentially affecting their telecom operators' revenue from roaming fees.
Impact on stakeholders - EU consumers and travellers: Positive impact, as faster implementation of reciprocal roaming would lower costs for EU citizens visiting the Western Balkans. - Western Balkan telecom operators: Negative impact in the short term, as they would lose roaming revenue from EU visitors; however, they could benefit from increased data usage and tourism. - European Commission: Increased responsibility to coordinate with Western Balkan partners and ensure technical and regulatory alignment. - Council of the EU: Removed as the primary addressee, reflecting that its authorisation has already been secured.
Institutional follow-up The amendment will be considered as part of the report on Albania, which is scheduled for a plenary vote. The report is a non-binding resolution assessing Albania's progress in EU accession negotiations. Once adopted, the resolution will serve as the Parliament's position on the Commission's 2025 Albania report. The next steps involve the Council and Commission taking note of the Parliament's recommendations, though the roaming issue will be handled through separate legislative procedures under the EU's Digital Single Market framework.
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