(Telecompaper) Berec, the body of EU telecom regulators, has given its advice on the proposed changes to roaming regulation, saying it's not feasible at this time to eliminate roaming surcharges. The European Parliament passed legislation in April calling for an end to roaming fees by the end of 2015. The European Commission subsequently asked Berec for advice, to facilitate discussions between Parliament and the EU Council on a final version of the legislation. Several EU states, notably those in the south where operators have a higher proportion of roaming income, have questioned whether the charges can be eliminated so soon. According to Berec, there is too wide a difference in wholesale and retail prices, particularly for mobile data, to make it "sustainable or feasible" to end roaming surcharges in the next year. The regulator looked particularly at the impact of allowing mobile users to 'roam like home', ie pay the same as they do in their home country when roaming in other EU states, and whether amendments such as a fair-use policy for roaming or adjustments to regulated wholesale prices could mitigate the impact on the market. However, it found that in all scenarios there would always be a trade-off between the policy objectives of ensuring competition, encouraging roaming, maintaining investment and protecting consumers.