Bulgarian GERB/EPP Group MEPs Mariya Gabriel, Eva Paunova, Andrey Kovatchev, Vladimir Urutchev, Emil Radev and Andrey Novakov call for faster abolishment of roaming charges in an open letter to the Council of Ministers of the EU. Reason for the letter are the latest proposals of the Council to postpone the abolishment of fees until 2018 and provide only 5 MB free Internet traffic per day for users in roaming.
On April 3, 2014 the European Parliament voted for a decrease in the fees for roaming throughout the EU by 15 December 2015, as well as clearer rules on net neutrality. The new proposal of the Council is deviating away from these targets and if comes into force, it would be a great disappointment for European citizens.
The abolishment of roaming fees and the principle of net neutrality are the main prerequisites for the completion of the Digital Single Market in the EU. Currently different rules in the 28 Member States do not allow businesses to grow effectively abroad and citizens to benefit from a greater range of services. According to research, the completion of the DSM will potentially gain the EU € 260 billion annually.