The European Commission (EC) praised the impact of its telecommunications policies days before the introduction of new price caps on cross-border calls and texts comes into force.

On 15 May, call charges between countries in the European Union will be limited to €0.19 per minute plus VAT, with SMS charged at a maximum of €0.06. The legislation, which was cleared by the EU in December 2018, is part of a controversial overhaul of communications legislation across the economic area.

The new pricing does not apply to business tariffs and will be extended to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein at a later, unspecified, date.

In a statement EC VP for Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip (pictured) said: “The price caps for calls within the EU is a concrete example on how the Digital Single Market makes a difference to people, in their daily lives.

“Overall the new telecoms rules will help the EU to meet growing connectivity needs of Europeans and boost the EU’s competitiveness,” he added.

European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel added: “After abolishing roaming charges in 2017, the EU has now taken measures against excessive charges for cross-border calls from home.”