Roaming prices for phone calls, messages and data in the European Union will be massively reduced on Saturday before they are finally abolished on June 15.

Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi, one of the key negotiators on this piece of legislation, hailed the moment as the end of a "very long battle" that began several years ago. 

With the new cap, the maximum surcharge on calls is 5c per minute, data use 5c per megabyte and SMS 2c. The reduction is from current prices of 19c per minute and 20c per megabyte for Maltese and Gozitans.

Roaming charges will then be consigned to the dustbin of history in mid-June 2017. As of then, Europeans will pay the same price whether they use their mobile phones in their home country or anywhere else in the EU.

"It is on days like today that I realise how my work as an ‪MEP has a real impact on improving the daily lives of, not only ‪‎Maltese citizens but also of all ‪Europeans," Mrs Mizzi said. 

With the sun setting on roaming charges, Mrs Mizzi said the next step would be to "push for lower and unified rates for non-roaming, intra-EU mobile calls." The result, she said, would be "no extra costs when calling across borders."

The S&D grouping that Mrs Mizzi is a spokesperson of was the first to call for an end of roaming charges in the EU, back in 2012. 

Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola said roaming fees were part of an outdated business model, and this massive reduction and phaseout was an important victory for consumers.

Roberta Metsola

"I have supported the end of roaming charges since my very first election campaign and as an MEP, I proudly supported the European Parliament's bid to end these additional charges, which will be done away with once and for all in summer of next year. This is a great example of the very noticeable benefits of having a single EU market. It is one that leaves people with more money in their pockets and less worried about returning home from abroad to find a huge bill waiting,” Dr Metsola said.

“It is difficult for people to understand why we are meant to have a single market across 28 EU states, but are then still charged outrageous prices to use our phones in different EU countries,” Dr Metsola said.