Tag Archives: Judith Merkies

July 4, 2012 · 4:54 pm

EU Parliament members in interview

On July 1, the new EU roaming regulation came into force. On this occasion, we asked some members of the European Parliament who supported us for interviews. So, without further ado, read Arlene McCarthy (UK Labour), Judith Merkies (Dutch PvdA), Róża Thun (Polish Platforma Obywatelska) and Dr. Paul Rübig (Austrian ÖVP) debate the new roaming regulation, our activities and other work they are currently doing in the European Parliament:

Bengt Beier (FairRoaming.org): On July 1, the new EU roaming regulation came into force. It will lead to lower price caps for using mobile phones abroad and better consumer protection against bill shocks. From 2014 on, users will also get the right to choose a different operator for roaming services. How happy are you with this result? Continue reading →

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Tagged as Arlene McCarthy, Bengt Beier, European Parliament, Fair Roaming, interview, Judith Merkies, MEP, Paul Rübig, Róża Thun, roaming

March 12, 2012 · 7:45 pm

FairRoaming reaches first goal, gets more support

Last week, the European Parliament’s ITRE committee voted for lowering roaming costs within the EU. This marked a big success and step forward for our campaign. The Parliament’s vote followed a proposal of the European Commission from last July but demands even lower price caps for roaming:

no more than 15 ct/min to make calls and 5 ct/min to receive calls by 2014,
no more than 5 ct for sending SMS,
no more than 50 ct/MB for internet access from 2012,
no more than 20 ct/MB for internet access from 2014,
easier access for alternative operators to offer cheaper roaming services.

Next steps:

Continue reading →

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Tagged as Christian Engström, European Parliament, Fair Roaming, Judith Merkies, Paul Rübig, proposal, Róża Thun, roaming, support

February 21, 2012 · 9:20 pm

Judith Merkies MEP calls for action

Dutch member of the European parliament Judith Merkies (who now also supports our mission) has started a write-in campaign for lower roaming charges.

Ms Merkies who sits on the key committee ITRE stated: “Kroes’ proposal is way too cautious. We have a single market in Europe, haven’t we? Then why these high costs? I want to eliminate the differences between national and international rates as soon as possible.”

Merkies prefers more ambitious plans than those of Commissioner Kroes. Her goal is to completely abolish roaming charges until 2014: “From then on, it doesn’t make a difference if you call from another EU member state to Amsterdam, Lisbon or Berlin.”

Support Merkies; call Kroes and MEPs for action
To support her plans, Merkies calls for action: click here to send a direct e-mail to Members of the European Parliament or retweet the tweet posted below