“Thanks to the continuing pressure of the European Union, now consumers can choose, with full knowledge of the facts, the best offers for the new EU rates that are applied all over Europe”. This is the comment of the EU Commissioner for telecommunication, Viviane Reding, following the publication of the new rates that all of the 95 European mobile phone operators offer to their subscribers under the new EU regulation on roaming (calls made or received abroad) which has been in force since last June. The EU rate table – where the highest rates are 0.49 euros plus VAT for calls made abroad and 0.24 euros plus VAT for calls received abroad, respectively – can be consulted on the European Commission website: .http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/roaming/index_it.htm>. In cooperation with the European Group of Regulatory Authorities, before next October the Commission will complete its assessment of the transition to the new regime “regarding quality, transparency and ease of access, to see whether the roaming market has become more competitive and whether consumers actually benefit from better conditions”.
