Roaming charges to be abolished across EU from December 2015

This will mean Irish people can make calls from anywhere in the EU for the same cost as a call in Ireland.

It comes after years of protracted negotiations with mobile phone companies across Europe.

European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said “Nearly all of us depend on mobile and internet connections as part of our daily lives. We should know what we are buying, we should not be ripped-off, and we should have the opportunity to change our mind”.

“Companies should have the chance to serve all of us, and this regulation makes it easier for them to do that. It's win-win” she added.

EU Member States will now continue to review the regulation – and the Commission expects final agreement by the end of 2014.

This was originally proposed by the EU Commission in September 2013, and is aimed at creating a single telecoms market in the EU.

Peter Power is from the EU office in Dublin. He says from December next year, Irish people can make calls from anywhere in the European Union for the same cost as a call in Ireland.

“We've been working for the past five years to progressively eliminate roaming charges – so for an Irish person travelling abroad, it means no more roaming after next year” he said.

“So they can make telephone calls from any European country at the same price as they would make it if they were making the call here in Ireland” he added.