Agreement Signed on Lowering Roaming Prices in Regional Countries

Minister of Communications and Transport of BiH Damir Hadžić signed an Agreement in Budva today with his counterparts from three regional countries on lowering the prices of roaming services in public mobile communication networks between the ministries responsible for electronic communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Serbia, which will enable citizens significantly lower roaming service prices, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

Alongside Minister Hadžić, the signatories of the agreement are the Minister for Information Society and Telecommunications of Montenegro Vujica Lazović, the Deputy Minister for Information Society and Administration of the Republic of Macedonia Marta Arsovska Tomovska, and the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia Rasim Ljajić.

- Roaming service prices in the region have been unjustifiably high, and two years ago I sent an initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina to also join the EU roaming regulation. With today's agreement, we are aligning the regulation of roaming service prices in the region with the European Roaming Regulation, and as a minister, I am pleased to see that we have brought one of the initiated projects, from which citizens of five regional countries will benefit, to completion. This is a significant step forward and progress in the cooperation of regional countries, and I expect that the reduction of roaming prices will contribute to an increase in demand for mobile communication services, thereby accelerating the development of this market in the region - said Minister Hadžić after the signing.

The agreement envisages the phased harmonization of domestic roaming service prices with the prices applicable in EU countries. Regulatory bodies for electronic communications of the signatory countries will be responsible for the implementation of the Agreement.

At the initiative of Minister Hadžić, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH sent a request to the European Commission two years ago to include BiH in the EU roaming regulation.