European Council must back abolition of roaming charges - Anderson

The European Council must honour the European Parliament commitment to end mobile phone roaming charges, MEP Martina Anderson has said.

The Sinn Fein representative said proposals by the Council to extend the abolition timeframe by three years was “entirely unacceptable.”

Ms Anderson said: "The European Parliament and European Commission both voted that mobile phone providers must abolish roaming charges by the end of this year. 

"Now the European Council is proposing to extend that timeframe by three years. This is entirely unacceptable and goes against the democratic decisions of the European institutions. 

"Roaming charges are unfair and outdated and must go. 

"The IT and telecommunications sectors have a role to play in meeting the demands of the changing marketplace as well as providing value for money for users. 

"By doing so, they can be catalysts for economic and social revival across the European Union by stimulating trade.”

She concluded: "The European Commission should now listen to the other European institutions and abandon this proposal so roaming charges can be abolished by the end of the year."