Volledig verslag van de vergaderingen

Woensdag 19 april 2023 - Straatsburg

16. Digitale euro (debat)

  Πρόεδρος. – Το επόμενο σημείο στην ημερήσια διάταξη αφορά τις δηλώσεις του Συμβουλίου και της Επιτροπής με θέμα: Ψηφιακό ευρώ (2023/2641(RSP)).

  Jessika Roswall, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, honourable Members, Commissioner, today’s exchange on the digital euro is well timed and important, as the Commission is expected to present its proposal for a regulatory framework. It is important for both Council and Parliament as co-legislators: our objective is to ensure that the legal foundations are fully in place when the ECB takes the final decision on whether or not to proceed with the issuance of a digital euro.

The Council recognised the strategic importance of the digital euro project and investigations into central bank digital currency in general. As you know, the digital euro project is part of a broader international trend. Other central banks are embarking on similar projects, including in non-euro members like Sweden. The digital project has a clear political dimension as it touches on economic and financial sovereignty and affects citizens and businesses in a very tangible manner.

The introduction of the digital euro must therefore be an inclusive project supported by the European public and built on a solid democratic basis. This is also why we need to make sure that the citizens and businesses maintain access to sovereign money issued by the central bank, which should remain the monetary anchor. Member States have regularly discussed this matter within the Eurogroup, which has issued several statements summarising its views.

I would say that there are both opportunities and challenges. To mention a few key points, the digital euro’s expected benefits span from widespread access to safe central bank money, and enhanced financial inclusion to cutting—edge, pan—EU payment systems. However, there are also risks connected to the launch of a retail digital euro. Among other things, it requires certain safeguards so that it does not disrupt financial stability, resulting, for instance, from a displacement of commercial bank deposits.

Another key concern of Member States is that of privacy. A high level of privacy is essential to gain the trust of retail users. At the same time, combating financial and illegal activities should be high on the agenda. At the same time, there are issues connected with the role of intermediaries and cost allocations that needs to be addressed so that consumers don’t face higher costs for digital euro payments than for commercial payments.

Another important dimension of this discussion is the international role of the euro and the interoperability with similar initiatives around the world. I mentioned just some key issues for the Member States, which I am sure that that we share with the Parliament. Discussions on these and other aspects will continue. Once the Commission’s proposal is made public the Council will do its part to take the legislative work forward so that we can engage in interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament.

I’m looking forward to the debate. Thank you for your attention.

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, Minister, honourable Members, I’m really happy that we’re having this conversation in the Chamber today because we’ve been having conversations in corridors and it’s important that this Chamber discusses what is a really important project.

You’ve already heard that many governments and central banks around the world are looking into possible central bank digital currencies. And for the last two and a half years, we’ve examined whether a digital euro would be possible or desirable, and what the requirements would be. We’re doing that work hand in hand with the European Central Bank, discussing key aspects of a possible digital euro. And that’s why we very much welcome the political debate on the project.

The single currency is a symbol of the European Union and of European unity. Bringing the euro into the digital age is a big European project and it is a very political project. And that means the digital euro needs to be supported by the European public and a strong democratic process. So the European Parliament has a vital role to play in this debate. And, of course, you will soon be asked to look at our legislative proposal. So just a few words on what a digital euro is, why we might need it and some details of the legislative proposal.

So to the basic question: what is a digital euro? We all understand what physical cash is and how to use it. Central banks issue coins and banknotes and they play a key role in monetary systems. A coin or a banknote is a direct liability on a central bank. When we use private money, our confidence in it is based on the fact that you can convert it back to central bank money. A digital euro would be a complement to physical cash, which keeps its important role. Indeed, I mentioned that in the last debate.

A digital euro would play a similar function to cash, providing us with access to central bank money in a digital world. The digital euro – like cash today – would be backed by a central bank, and that’s also the real contrast to existing private digital currencies like crypto-assets. A digital euro would be safe, secure and sound.

So now to ‘why we would need a digital euro’. Let me talk about four main points here. The first one is that in a very rapidly digitalising economy, the share of payments in cash is declining, while digital payments are on the rise. This trend is likely to continue. So we want to make sure the euro is fit for the future and we want to keep our access to public money in a digital world.

The second and related point: a digital euro could support financial inclusion. We know that people without bank accounts and other vulnerable groups rely heavily on cash for payments, and that means they face new risks as cash is used less. We would like a digital euro that can be used not only online but offline, too, for example in person-to-person payments or to pay in physical shops. We should also make a digital euro accessible to more vulnerable groups, including people who are not familiar with electronic devices or mobile apps.

Third point: a digital euro is essential to support the EU’s open strategic autonomy. Private companies are developing stablecoins, crypto-assets whose value is pegged to another currency, usually not the euro. Central banks around the world are investigating, piloting and even issuing digital currencies. If we don’t provide our own solution, then we run the risk of private stablecoins or foreign central bank digital currencies filling the gap. And that could affect the role of the euro, both in the European retail payments market and in international trade.

Fourth, and finally, a digital euro could foster innovation in payment systems and the economy at large. The payment systems we have at the moment are national or international. The digital euro could foster competition in the payment field, not crowding out existing means of payment. A digital euro should give citizens and businesses an additional payment option to use anywhere in the euro area, and they could always rely on it and know that their personal data is protected. A digital euro could support more innovation in payments, such as machine-to-machine payments that work without human interaction, like the automatic recharging of cars, logistics or deliveries.

As I noted, a digital euro is not intended to replace cash, but rather to complement it. And it’s in this spirit that the Commission intends to adopt a legislative proposal on the legal tender of cash in parallel to the digital euro proposal. And this is about maintaining the role of cash as legal tender in our economy, making sure we keep sufficient access to cash and keeping cash as an accepted form of payment. Our upcoming regulation is intended to establish and regulate the essential aspects of the digital euro, and this is in full respect of the competence of the ECB, because ultimately the decision to issue a digital euro remains up to the ECB.

I cannot pre-empt decisions to be taken by the College of Commissioners, but I want to speak about some key issues we believe the upcoming legislative proposal should address, and these include legal tender. The legal tender status of the digital euro would ensure consistency with cash and make digital central bank money widely accessible in the euro area. On privacy, there is a delicate balance to be struck between privacy and anti-money laundering requirements. On financial stability, the digital euro should be a means of payment, but should not become a large store of value. We want to avoid the disintermediation of banks and any risk to financial stability.

On the area of distribution and compensation, the digital euro would be distributed by private payment service providers, and these entities should receive a fair compensation. On financial inclusion, we are considering a series of basic services for people to be provided free of charge or at a reasonable price. And finally, the use of the digital euro outside the euro area.

I want to thank members of this House who will share their views on this digital euro project, because I think your insights are really important and helpful, informing our preparation of the legislative proposal. And we’re looking forward to continuing to work with you on this important initiative.

The Eurogroup has also expressed strong support for the digital euro project and indeed our Minister has outlined the views of the Eurogroup. Our targeted consultation last summer fed into our work also and we’ve engaged with public and private stakeholders, consumer organisations, businesses and financial institutions. And, indeed, this project has evolved over time. We have raised many questions. We have had answers. But sometimes the answers indeed lead to further questions. And I think that’s how it should be, because this is a very new area that we move into.

So in conclusion, I would just say that this digital euro can only be a success if it has strong democratic foundations. And that’s why this House plays a vital role in our debate and why I am delighted that we are having this exchange today.

  Markus Ferber, im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, Frau Ratspräsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen, liebe Kollegen! Die Europäische Zentralbank führt nun bereits seit einigen Jahren umfassende Vorarbeiten und Machbarkeitsstudien zum Thema „Digitaler Euro“ durch. Die Grundsatzentscheidung seitens des EZB-Rats steht zwar offiziell noch aus, aber wir sollten schon davon ausgehen, dass die Zentralbank dieses Projekt weiter vorantreiben will. Die Europäische Zentralbank hat in den vergangenen Monaten das Für und Wider verschiedener Designoptionen – also, wie sollte es wirklich ausgestaltet sein? – diskutiert und die Überlegungen sowohl in ihren Fortschrittsberichten als auch im Austausch mit dem Europäischen Parlament vorgestellt.

Dabei haben wir zwar einen besseren Einblick in einige dieser Optionen, dieser Designoptionen bekommen, die Europäische Zentralbank, aber auch die Europäische Kommission, die ja jetzt an einer Rechtsgrundlage für einen digitalen Euro arbeitet, haben aber eine zentrale Frage noch nicht glaubwürdig beantwortet, nämlich: Was ist der Mehrwert des digitalen Euros für die Nutzer? Oder um es anders auszudrücken: Was kann ich mit einem digitalen Euro machen, was ich mit den heutigen Zahlungsoptionen nicht machen kann?

Also, was ist das Geschäftsmodell des digitalen Euro? Solange diese Frage nicht beantwortet ist, wird es viel Skepsis gegenüber einem digitalen Euro geben. Die öffentliche Konsultation der Zentralbank zeigt auch, wo diese herrührt. Die meisten Bürgerinnen und Bürger wollen ein hohes Maß an Privatsphäre im Zahlungsverkehr. Es gibt begründete Zweifel, dass ein digitaler Euro diese Ziele im gleichen Maße erfüllen kann wie Bargeld. Deswegen muss auch klar sein: Bargeld wird nicht ersetzt, Bargeld muss weiter bestehen bleiben und der digitale Euro kann es höchstens ergänzen. Daran sollte auch die EZB keinen Zweifel lassen.

Um es klar zu sagen: Ich habe kein Problem mit einem digitalen Euro, wenn wir wissen, wofür er notwendig ist. Aber solange diese Frage nicht beantwortet ist, gibt es bei uns eine große Skepsis. Wenn es eine klare Vision gibt, dann beantworten sich auch viele Fragen, Frau Kommissarin, ganz von selber, denn über das Design beantwortet sich auch die Regulatorik. Deswegen bitte erst die Frage nach dem „Wofür“ beantworten und dann erst die Frage nach dem „Wie“.

  Jonás Fernández, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señor presidente, señora comisaria, bienvenida de nuevo.

Discutíamos antes sobre los retos, las oportunidades, las incertidumbres del mundo en torno a los activos digitales. Y sin duda, en mi opinión, la mayor de las incertidumbres de este cambio, de esta innovación en los activos financieros, consiste en la potencial pérdida de soberanía monetaria que pudiera acontecer ante una desintermediación creciente de las monedas de emisión pública por parte de los bancos centrales.

Ante las dificultades para gestionar los ciclos en esas condiciones —por cierto, podemos recordar qué ocurría en el mundo occidental en el siglo XIX, a finales del siglo XVIII, cuando no había monedas públicas, cuando no había un monopolio en la emisión de moneda, esto hay que tenerlo muy presente—, tenemos que pensar —y en mi opinión esta es la respuesta a la pregunta que hacía mi colega Markus Ferber previamente— que la razón para tener un euro digital es garantizar la soberanía monetaria de manera estructural.

Ahora bien, este gran objetivo tiene que alcanzarse empezando con pequeños pasos. Y probablemente la Comisión y el Banco Central Europeo estén pensando en una propuesta más bien poco ambiciosa que, de alguna manera, pueda no distinguirse de otros sistemas de pagos. Y en este punto se suscitan las incertidumbres de algunos colegas: ¿para qué queremos un sistema de pagos que tiene poca diferencia con los que ofrece ya el sector privado?

La respuesta, en mi opinión, es contar con el marco, con la estructura para garantizar nuestra soberanía monetaria a medio plazo, porque ciertamente el futuro es inescrutable.

  Gilles Boyer, au nom du groupe Renew. – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, l’Union européenne doit être à l’avant-garde des transformations profondes du secteur des paiements et y rester. Le monde ne nous attend pas. Il en va de notre souveraineté comme de la préservation d’une prérogative essentielle de la puissance publique: l’émission de monnaie. Nous saluons donc la proposition de la Commission à venir en vue de la création d’un euro numérique, en complément des travaux de la Banque centrale européenne.

Il s’agit bien sûr d’un défi technique de taille, mais il s’agit surtout d’un défi politique, avec de nombreuses questions qui restent à résoudre. L’euro numérique doit être un succès, un nouvel outil de confiance, que les citoyens européens pourront s’approprier: complémentaire de l’argent liquide, auquel ils demeurent profondément attachés, facile d’utilisation, sécurisé, préservant les données personnelles tout en apportant sa contribution à la lutte contre le blanchiment. Nous devrons aussi prendre en compte les possibles répercussions sur le système bancaire. Autant d’impératifs, parfois contradictoires, qu’il nous faudra concilier.

Nous attendons donc avec impatience la proposition de la Commission pour commencer notre travail et relever ces défis, afin de faciliter la vie quotidienne des citoyens européens.

  Ernest Urtasun, en nombre del Grupo Verts/ALE. – Señor presidente, el euro digital es un proyecto potencialmente transformador que puede tener consecuencias positivas para la sociedad y la economía en su conjunto.

En primer lugar, y lo más importante, el oro digital nos tiene que permitir defender la soberanía monetaria en un mundo cada vez más digitalizado, es decir, mantener el dinero como un bien público; esto ahora mismo es lo más importante. Además, según como se diseñe, puede ser una manera efectiva de tener un sistema de pagos más efectivo y también más inclusivo.

Sin embargo, hay que decir que su valor añadido, económico y social dependerá en gran medida de cómo se diseñe. En este punto tengo que decir que mi grupo está preocupado porque algunos intereses ya creados, que temen mucho la potencial innovación disruptiva del euro digital, presionen para diseñar específicamente el oro digital para que este no funcione, de modo que no desafíe modelos de negocios de la banca comercial tradicional.

Por lo tanto, aquí lo que es crucial es cómo se va a desarrollar este proyecto. No lo podemos dejar en manos solo del BCE con el asesoramiento técnico de la banca privada porque este proyecto es de todos y, si es de todos, los objetivos, las opciones de diseño, la distribución, deben definirse a través de un procedimiento legislativo inclusivo y democrático que involucre plenamente a este Parlamento y a la sociedad civil.

  Johan Van Overtveldt, namens de ECR-Fractie. – Voorzitter, commissaris, collega’s, vertrouwen is het belangrijkste goed in de financiële wereld. Het komt te voet en het gaat, zoals men zegt, te paard.

In die zin werd de euro samen met andere klassieke munten de afgelopen tien jaar flink uitgedaagd en opgejaagd door de zogenaamde cryptomunten. Die cryptogekte op zich vloeide direct voort uit het onconventionele, zeg maar voor een stuk onverantwoorde monetaire beleid van de jaren 2010, waardoor wantrouwen in het monetaire systeem zeer werd aangewakkerd.

De crypto’s werden voor sommigen de tulpenbollen van onze tijd. Voor anderen was het een fijne dekmantel voor de financiering van duistere praktijken. Op dit soort praktijken moet een gereguleerd antwoord komen, dat wat mij betreft niet restrictief genoeg kan zijn.

Waarom dan zou de Centrale Bank nog met een digitale euro moeten komen? Elektronisch geld overschrijven, dat kunnen we heel simpel met een appje op onze gsm. Onze banken overbodig maken? Aantrekkelijk voor sommigen, maar dat blijken dan bij nader inzien fans van het sovjetmodel te zijn. Een antwoord op China bieden? Een autoritair, gevaarlijk, agressief regime bestrijd je niet door het te kopiëren.

Kortom, de digitale euro biedt geen antwoord op een specifieke behoefte en al zeker niet op de reden waarom burgers hun heil in crypto’s zijn gaan zoeken, namelijk een geschokt vertrouwen in het monetaire systeem. Dat komt pas terug met discipline, zowel op budgettair als op monetair vlak. Schulden moeten omlaag en inflatie moet worden aangepakt. Chinagewijs onze economische en burgerlijke vrijheden hypothekeren zal eerder het omgekeerde teweegbrengen.

  Gunnar Beck, im Namen der ID-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Letzten Monat wurde Christine Lagarde Opfer eines Scherzanrufs. Unbeabsichtigt gab Lagarde preis: Beim digitalen Euro geht es um totale staatliche Kontrolle über das Geld der Bürger. Lagarde wörtlich:

‘We have in Europe a threshold above EUR 1 000, you cannot pay cash. If you do, you take your risk, you get caught, you’re fined, or you go to jail.

Our citizens will be controlled, only for very small amounts – around EUR 300 or EUR 400 – will there be no control’.

Zahlungen über 1000 Euro sollen kontrolliert werden und irgendwann alles über drei-oder vierhundert Euro. Barzahlungen garantieren Freiheit, denn keine Bank oder kein Staat kann wissen, was Sie wo, wie und wann gekauft haben. Bargeld schützt vor Minuszins, Enteignung und dem Verlust aufgrund von Bankeninsolvenzen. Lagarde ließ sich bei dem Anruf übertölpeln, und jetzt wissen wir es: Der digitale Euro soll uns diese Freiheit der Bargeldzahlung nehmen.

  Chris MacManus, on behalf of The Left Group. – Mr President, Commissioner, I think it’s fair to say that the digital euro has not captured the public’s imagination. It is, however, an important innovation, and it’s one that we must get right.

In the digital age, there are some who would have us abandon cash altogether. This must not happen. Workers, consumers and small businesses must continue to be allowed to use their own cash – their own money in their own purse or pocket. In this digital age, we must protect the idea of money as a public good. Huge corporations cannot be allowed to take over the use of our money. We wouldn’t allow the privatisation of cash, therefore we cannot allow the privatisation of its digital equivalent.

I urge the Commission and ECB to not think of the digital euro as a purely defensive innovation, but to grasp its full potential. The banking sector has had enough public support down through the years, so for once let’s put consumers, citizens and workers first and use the digital euro to empower them.

  Marcel de Graaff (NI). – Voorzitter, met de digitale euro richt de ECB zich op de particuliere markt. Het is het digitale alternatief voor contant geld.

Op dit moment geven alleen de commerciële banken giraal geld uit en daar komt nu dus de Europese Centrale Bank bij. De burger heeft straks een rekening bij de ECB, zoals vroeger bij de posterijen, die ook eigendom waren van de staat. En omdat de ECB niet failliet kan gaan, kan de burger er zeker van zijn dat zijn geld veilig is. Dat geeft zekerheid bij grote financiële schokken. Maar het geeft de overheid ook verschrikkelijk veel macht om de burger te controleren en te dwingen.

De grootste zorg van de burger is dat de overheid in de toekomst kan beperken waaraan de burger zijn geld uitgeeft, zoals vleesproducten en brandstoffen. Of dat we een vorm van een social credit system krijgen zoals in Canada, waarbij je rekening wordt geblokkeerd als je kritisch bent op de regering. Daarom moet de digitale euro aan de volgende eisen voldoen: aankopen moeten niet herleidbaar zijn naar het product, het saldo moet ook direct als contant geld opneembaar zijn en het saldo moet niet programmeerbaar zijn. Dit moet wettelijk worden vastgelegd.

  Lídia Pereira (PPE). – Senhor Presidente, a Europa tem, no euro, mais que uma moeda. É um compromisso de 20 dos 27 Estados—Membros para a partilha de uma parte importante da sua soberania – a da política monetária.

E porque estamos a falar de soberania, é importante sermos claros com os cidadãos que representamos. É verdade que a globalização das economias, a digitalização dos pagamentos ou a descentralização dos serviços financeiros exigem uma resposta sólida da política monetária.

As perguntas que se impõem, contudo, são estas: que problemas é que os europeus enfrentam que exigem um euro digital? Que valor acrescentado tem uma moeda digital única para a Zona Euro? E que oportunidades terão os cidadãos e as empresas europeias com este projeto?

Noutras geografias, as moedas digitais estão a avançar e não podemos ficar para trás. A esta altura, já devíamos estar a discutir propostas concretas, exatamente para identificarmos os problemas que vamos resolver, para decidirmos sobre as funcionalidades que queremos para o euro digital, e para criar um espaço de oportunidade para os cidadãos alargarem a sua liberdade financeira e para as empresas terem mais condições para investir e inovar.

Este não é o tempo para prolongar debates sobre onde estamos. Este é, sim, o tempo de decidir para onde queremos ir.

  Paul Tang (S&D). – Mr President, bad money drives out good. This law – Gresham’s law – is empirical, yet the European Central Bank believes otherwise: that good money, digital euro backed by the ECB, will drive out bad money backed by unstable private banks. And as a result, the ECB wants to impose restrictions to limit how much one can hold – up to EUR 3 000 – and where, with private actors.

To be clear, the digital euro makes absolute sense in a digitalised economy, no doubt. It’s also important to maintain monetary sovereignty to prevent private currencies – bad money like Libra – from taking over. Yet I have strong doubts about the restrictions. First because the digital euro should be viable, and why use something you can hardly hold? And second, a digital euro should compete with bank deposits, encouraging banks, for example, to let consumers benefit from recent interest rate hikes. And of course this raises worries about bank funding, no doubt. But the digital euro doesn’t introduce these problems. It merely highlights the fluidity of deposits in a digital age. And the Silicon Valley Bank was merely its first victim.

So I fully understand the ECB’s wish to prioritise stability initially, but the restrictions should weaken over time, exactly as the Bank of England proposes.

Dear colleagues, this debate is important. The digital euro is a political project, indeed, not a technocratic one. And so the project of the digital euro needs political backing. So let the Commission put all the options on the table to have a real political debate on the digital euro.

  Ondřej Kovařík (Renew). – Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, we witness a clear trend towards the digitalisation of finance, and that includes the central bank money. This trend will provide a number of opportunities for citizens and businesses, but does not come without risk. I expect all these aspects should be considered when discussing the digital euro.

In order for this digital euro to be a helpful and successful project we need to be transparent in our goals, but also in our communication. For citizens, the key to an attractive digital euro is a guarantee of privacy and security in their spending. We also must take into account that cash still plays a prominent role in our society, and a digital euro cannot be a substitute for it, but rather simply to complement it. Cash is here to stay, even with the digital euro. Furthermore, better engagement with financial intermediaries is a key, as they will need time to develop relevant technical solutions and products.

I look forward to the proposals from the Commission and the conclusions from the European Central Bank on the digital euro, where we expect to see some more concrete version of the concept.

  Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR). – Mr President, when Bitcoin was introduced 14 years ago, it revolutionised the world of finance. It was the world’s first decentralised digital payments infrastructure. The underlying technology of Bitcoin still promises an endless potential of economic opportunity and freedom. And isn’t it ironic that we are now talking about a centralised database controlled by government institutions? Why do we need a digital euro? We are already working on instant payments and digitalisation of finance. Now, I was told that we need this so we can compete with China. Well, back in the day we would counter communist China with policies of rollback or containment, not by copying it. Yet the European institutions press ahead and invest into a project with no added value, leaving many citizens worried about their privacy and lack of democratic control by national parliaments.

The digital euro is a solution looking for a problem, and for now would be best left on ice.

  Gerolf Annemans (ID). – Voorzitter, de redenen waarom de Europese Centrale Bank deze digitale euro wil invoeren, kaderen volgens ons niet in de verschillende drogredenen die er door de Europese elite voor worden aangedragen, maar kaderen in de verdere stappen die we als burgers het afgelopen decennium door onze overheden hebben zien zetten in de richting van de absolute controlemaatschappij.

Vandaag hier wordt deze digitale munt met een politieke beslissing, nog meer dan voordien met de euro, een munt die om politieke redenen wordt ingevoerd. Dat deze digitale munt nodig is om de verstorende marktwerking van Facebook en Mastercard voor te blijven, is een drogreden, want dat kan op andere manieren aan banden worden gelegd. Dat het faillissement van een commerciële bank ingevolge een bankencrisis erdoor in de greep wordt gehouden, is een drogreden omdat daarvoor toezichts- en afwikkelingsmechanismes bestaan. Dat de euro en de digitale euro naast elkaar zullen blijven bestaan, is een drogreden, want een eenvoudige nieuwe politieke beslissing kan daaraan een einde maken. En criminelen moeten door een efficiëntere overheid rechtstreeks aangepakt worden, niet via een totalitaire supercontrole op het leven van alle burgers.

Kortom, er is veel meer reden om te vrezen dat deze nieuwe en in essentie programmeerbare overheidsgecontroleerde munt het gevaar inhoudt van een controle op niet alleen de inkomsten, maar ook de uitgaven. Net als een account op sociale media zal een politieke munt als deze uw gedrag en uw mening via uw uitgaven kunnen beperken of schrappen met één druk op de knop. De hier gisteren goedgekeurde CO2-boetes voor stoute burgers zullen meteen kunnen worden geïnd door Timmermans en zijn opvolgers.

Wakkere burgers die de vrijheid, la liberté, die Freiheit, the freedom in het hart dragen, wijzen deze munt af. En ik eindig met deze waarschuwing uit George Orwells Animal Farm:

‘These people don’t see that if you encourage totalitarian methods, the time may come when they will be used against you instead of for you.’

  Ivan Vilibor Sinčić (NI). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, poštovane kolege, današnja tema je digitalni euro. Kada govorimo o digitalnom euru, ja kažem gotovina, gotovina, gotovina. Gotovina je garancija slobode.

Pozicija s koje ovdje nastupam je očuvanje sloboda, i osobnih i ekonomskih, hrvatskih građana koje zastupam. U svijetu, nažalost, postoje moćne globalizacijske i korporativne skupine koje se iz Davosa hvale kako su penetrirale u sve kabinete svih vlada. Ti ljudi su neprijatelji sloboda ljudi i suvereniteta nacija.

Na primjeru Twittera, pak, vidimo da korumpirane vlade i moćne korporacije zajedno djeluju protiv građana i njihovih osobnih ekonomskih sloboda. Vidimo da se on masovno koristio za nadzor, kontrolu i cenzuru građana i njihovih prava na slobodu mišljenja i slobodu izražavanja.

Od Edwarda Snowdena, pak, znamo da američka vlada besramno špijunira svoje građane. Nije samo Amerika, i europske institucije i vlade su već zloupotrijebile digitalne tehnologije. Bilo je više pokušaja da se progura biometrijsko praćenje u Europi, ali smo to za sada spriječili.

Sve više regulirate kriptovalute i ljudi traže slobodu. Kruna svega je digitalni zeleni certifikat, koji je još uvijek na snazi i koji je alat društvene kontrole i kršenja ustavnih temeljnih prava.

Vi doista iz Komisije nakon svega želite našu potporu za digitalni euro? Nakon što ste pokazali na što ste sve spremni? Članica Komisije ovdje govori da će digitalni euro biti siguran i ne znam što sve ne. Naravno, uvijek počinje s lijepom pričom, ali ja to ne vjerujem. Vidio sam previše građana kojima su, dakle, slobode oduzete zbog skrivenih namjera i neistina koje dolaze iz Komisije.

  Frances Fitzgerald (PPE). – Mr President, Commissioner McGuinness, colleagues, the digital transformation of the financial sector creates new opportunities – challenges, but of course risks. In this landscape the digital euro endeavours to maintain the euro as a dependable and effective payment method. It can also boost innovation. Other places are moving on and we should not be left behind. A digital euro can serve as a model for the rest of the world and support the international role of the euro. The ECB role’s is indispensable, but the voice of the European Parliament must also be heard.

And of course the digital euro has to maintain the trust of our citizens. Privacy is a fundamental right, which is also why we should preserve the two—tier distribution model. However, we should go beyond this minimum standard and explore options such as using encryption to protect users’ data. We must also look at ways to make the digital euro economically attractive to customers, businesses and payment providers. Issues of access to the financial system will remain important. Physical cash, as many colleagues have said, will still have a role to play, so no one is left behind.

Trust, safety and access: these are the core principles that underpin our monetary system. It is our duty to create a digital euro that upholds these values while also promoting innovation.

  Aurore Lalucq (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, je suis toujours preneuse de la réponse à la question que je vous ai posée dans le précédent débat à propos de Mme Lagarde et de M. Panetta.

Concernant l’euro numérique, je crois que la question que nous devons nous poser, c’est: pourquoi nous le faisons? Dans quel but? Et je pense que c’est un petit peu là, en fait, que le bât blesse, parce que, certes, on parle de souveraineté, mais je pense qu’on a voulu prendre un peu vite le tournant du numérique parce que c’était à la mode et qu’on essaye maintenant de remplir un peu au forceps ce projet.

Si on le prend au sérieux, ce projet, il est sincèrement vertigineux, parce que la monnaie, c’est de la confiance et de la violence, pour reprendre le titre du livre de Michel Aglietta. C’est un sujet éminemment politique, et on ne peut pas en faire n’importe quoi, notamment parce que ça peut remettre en cause le fonctionnement de notre système bancaire.

Je ne dis pas que c’est bien, je ne dis pas que c’est mal, je dis que ça se pense, que ça se prépare et que vous avez entre les mains quelque chose de très précieux, qui est une institution politique et qui s’appelle la monnaie. Dans le contexte actuel de tensions politiques et de montée des populistes, je pense qu’il faut faire très, très attention à la façon dont va tenir ce débat, qui n’est pas technique, qui est éminemment politique, et que, dans l’urgence, il faut toujours prendre son temps.

  Elżbieta Kruk (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Wiele krajów bada dziś możliwość wprowadzenia cyfrowych walut banku centralnego. Niektóre już je wprowadziły. Europejski Bank Centralny zapowiedział, że w tym roku rozpoczyna testy przed wprowadzeniem cyfrowego euro.

Zapowiada się oczywiście, że cyfrowe euro będzie bezpieczne i zapewni wysoki poziom prywatności, choć jak wiadomo, w przeciwieństwie do gotówki, nie pozwala na anonimowość.

Cyfrowe waluty spotykają się od dawna ze społeczną krytyką, wynikającą z obawy, że zwiększając możność kontroli nad wydatkami, doprowadzą do inwigilacji obywateli. Umożliwią też nowe rodzaje kontroli społecznej, w czasie gdy stoimy w obliczu zmniejszającej się ochrony praw człowieka, również w Unii Europejskiej.

Obawy te uzasadniło opublikowane na początku tego miesiąca nagranie rozmowy, podczas której pani prezes Europejskiego Banku Centralnego Christine Lagarde dała się nabrać, że rozmawia z prezydentem Ukrainy Wołodymyrem Zełenskim. Kiedy fałszywy prezydent zauważył, że Europejczycy protestują przeciwko cyfrowym walutom, gdyż nie chcą być kontrolowani, pani prezes pozwoliła sobie na szczerość i przyznała, że cyfrowe euro będzie służyło do większej kontroli nad obywatelami i ich wydatkami.

  Mislav Kolakušić (NI). – Poštovani predsjedavajući i kolege, dragi građani, digitalni euro, digitalni identitet, digitalni zdravstveni podaci dostupni farmaceutskoj mafiji dovest će i imat će za posljedicu ukidanje slobodnog čovjeka puno prije nego što je to bilo tko od nas očekivao.

Kada nam uskoro stigne nova, takozvana pandemija, onima koji ne dođu na njihov predviđeni termin uštrcavanja istovremeno jednim klikom bit će ukinut njihov digitalni identitet, pristup novcu, pristup zdravstvenoj skrbi. Bit će blokirani jednim klikom.

Prošlogodišnje odluke vlada Kanade i Novog Zelanda su nam savršeni primjeri koliko je takav crni scenarij uistinu moguć i u srcu Europske unije. Hoćemo ga dozvoliti? Ja sigurno neću.

  José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil (PPE). – Señor presidente, señora comisaria, el debate de hoy versa sobre la puesta en marcha del euro digital como complemento, y no como sustituto, del dinero en efectivo. En este debate no estamos solos: otros bancos centrales están haciendo lo mismo, y haríamos bien en procurar ir de la mano. Esta puesta en marcha, en resumen, debe ir precedida de un análisis de coste-beneficio. En caso de duda, debemos abstenernos de actuar, aunque no debemos abstenernos de seguir estudiando este asunto para no quedarnos atrás.

Tengo tres certezas. La primera es que el euro digital debe estar a disposición de todos los ciudadanos y las empresas de la eurozona. La segunda, que estará contabilizado en el balance del Banco Central Europeo, lo cual quiere decir que estamos hablando de un bien público y no de un bien privado. La tercera, que las operaciones de cara al público estarán delegadas —subrayo «delegadas»— en las instituciones financieras, lo cual no exime al Banco Central Europeo y a esta institución de seguir atentos a la regulación y supervisión de lo que en este terreno se haga.

Hago tres advertencias. La primera es que el euro digital debe ser atractivo para que sea aceptado por la población, pero no debe ser excesivamente aceptado para que no se convierta en un depósito de valor que acabe con el dinero en efectivo y que acelere la retirada de depósitos; en tal caso, el euro perdería su condición de ancla monetaria. La segunda, que el acceso del euro digital a no residentes y su interoperabilidad con otras monedas digitales de otras áreas permitirá abaratar y hacer más efectivos los pagos transferidos. Y la tercera, que el euro digital no debe competir con los servicios de pagos digitales prestados en este momento por instituciones privadas, sino complementarlos.

Es un debate importante cuya celebración no podemos retrasar.

  René Repasi (S&D). – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Der digitale Euro ist ein spannendes Projekt, geboren als Reaktion auf den Libra, von dem heute selbst kaum noch jemand spricht. Er wirft eine wichtige Frage auf: Welche Rolle kann öffentliches Geld in Abgrenzung zu privatem Bankengeld und privatem Digitalgeld spielen? Die Antwort auf diese Frage sagt uns, wie wir einen digitalen Euro ausgestalten müssen.

Meines Erachtens ist die zentrale Aufgabe des digitalen Euro, jedermann und jederfrau Zugang zu Finanzdienstleistungen zu eröffnen. Hier wurde heute viel über Freiheit gesprochen. Wichtig ist aber, dass Menschen überhaupt die Freiheit dazu bekommen, an Finanzdienstleistungen teilnehmen zu können.

Finanzielle Armut als Folge eines fehlenden Zugangs zu einem Bankkonto – das ist das zentrale Problem. 3,6 Prozent der europäischen Haushalte haben kein Bankkonto. Das bedeutet erstens: Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher brauchen einen direkten Zugang zur EZB mit einem eigenen Konto. Zweitens: Es muss ermöglicht werden, den digitalen Euro offline zu nutzen. Und drittens: Konsequenterweise muss es ermöglicht werden, das Geld auch als Wertanlage zu nutzen, ohne Spekulation anzuheizen.

  Engin Eroglu (Renew). – Herr Präsident, Frau Ministerin, Frau Kommissarin! Unsere Währungen sind im internationalen Wettbewerb, und deswegen ist es wichtig, dass sie leistungsorientiert und politisch unbeeinflusst agieren können. Weil wir im Wettbewerb um unsere Währung sind, müssen wir mit Innovationen gehen. Der Innovationsschritt der digitalen Währung kommt, und wir dürfen uns als Europäische Währungsunion dort nicht verschließen. Das heißt, wir müssen diesen Mut haben, den digitalen Euro, diesen Weg gemeinsam zu gehen, Frau Kommissarin.

Ich habe aber auch sehr gut Ihrer Rede zugehört. Sie haben fünf-, sechsmal in Ihrer Rede gesagt, Frau Kommissarin, Bargeld wollen wir nicht verbieten. Wichtig ist, dass Politiker das machen, was sie sagen. Und ich verstehe nicht – und es steht halt einfach nicht im Kontext –, wenn man dann auf anderer Seite eine Bargeldobergrenze von zwei- bis dreitausend Euro diskutiert. Dann passiert nämlich genau das, was die Menschen da draußen befürchten, nämlich, dass das Bargeldverbot kommt. Es bringt nichts, immer wieder hier zu betonen, dass wir das Bargeld erhalten wollen, weil es eine politische Mehrheit dafür gibt, sondern wir müssen aufhören, auf der anderen Stelle dann sozusagen das Bargeld einschränken zu wollen. Denn was sind denn heute zwei-, dreitausend Euro Bargeldobergrenze bei den vielen Fehlern, die Frau Lagarde gemacht hat in der Inflation? Was kann man heute für 2000 Euro kaufen und was kann man vielleicht in zehn Jahren noch für 2000 Euro kaufen, wenn diese Fehler nicht endlich behoben werden? Und deswegen: aufhören mit der Bargeldobergrenze!

  Denis Nesci (ECR). – Signor Presidente, signora Commissaria, colleghi, il progetto dell'euro digitale potrà rappresentare un nuovo fondamento dell'economia digitale europea che, come indicato anche dalla BCE, ha intenzioni assolutamente condivisibili, quali il rafforzamento del ruolo dell'euro e il sostegno alla digitalizzazione. Inoltre consentirebbe ai consumatori una rapida modalità per i pagamenti.

Tuttavia, vorrei porre delle questioni che riguardano innanzitutto la diffusione, l'accessibilità e la possibilità di eseguire pagamenti offline in qualsiasi condizione. Potrebbero poi emergere dei rischi per la stabilità finanziaria, cioè occorre capire se il servizio sarà a pagamento o meno.

Per il primo caso, la moneta digitale potrebbe diventare un perfetto sostituto dei depositi bancari, limitando il ruolo delle banche e, aggiungo, in questo caso occorre fare un'ulteriore riflessione anche sul regolamento sui pagamenti istantanei, che proprio in questi mesi negozieremo, per evitare quindi di creare duplicati o sovrapposizioni non necessarie. Nel caso venisse concesso in maniera totalmente gratuita, il rischio potrebbe verificarsi in fasi di elevata instabilità finanziaria, dove ci troveremmo di fronte a una corsa all'euro digitale dei depositi bancari.

Quindi, sono d'accordo a portare avanti il progetto sull'euro digitale purché sia chiaro, facile da utilizzare e sicuro e permetta di effettuare pagamenti online anche a chi oggi è escluso dal sistema finanziario, e quindi risulti un valore aggiunto per i consumatori.

  Jörg Meuthen (NI). – Herr Präsident, werte Kollegen! Die Digitalisierung birgt – das ist eine Binse – ohne jeden Zweifel Chancen und Nutzen wie auch Risiken und Gefahren in sich. Bei der von der EZB geplanten Digitalisierung des Euros als Währung überwiegen eindeutig die Risiken und Gefahren. Ökonomisch gefährdet ein digitaler Euro kleine und mittlere Banken in existenzieller Weise. Ihnen droht der Verlust von Liquidität. Der digitale Euro wird nicht, wie von der EZB behauptet, mehr Sicherheit bringen, sondern ganz im Gegenteil erhebliche Unruhe auf dem Finanzmarkt stiften.

Politisch ist die digitale Währung noch weitaus gefährlicher. Es ist vollkommen durchschaubar, dass dies nur ein erster Schritt hin zur vollständigen Abschaffung aller anderen Zahlungsmittel ist. Er ist ein großer Schritt hin zur Totalüberwachung aller Transaktionen und damit zur völligen Kontrolle der Bürger durch einen übergriffigen Staat. Warum wohl hat China seine Yuan bereits eifrig digitalisiert? Als demokratisch gewählte Volksvertreter ist es unsere Pflicht, die Bürger vor dieser totalen Kontrolle zu schützen und die Einführung eines digitalen Euros entschlossen zu verhindern. Das Bargeld, um das es hier sehr wohl geht, darf niemals abgeschafft werden.

  Stefan Berger (PPE). – Herr Präsident, sehr geehrte Frau Kommissarin McGuinness, meine Damen und Herren! Über 100 Staaten arbeiten heute an einem digitalen Zentralbankgeld. Europa und die Europäische Zentralbank laufen in diesem Währungswettrennen vorne mit. In den USA sprechen Kongressabgeordnete und Gouverneure über ein Verbot von CBDCs. Hier in Europa wird darüber geredet, nicht nur darüber, dass wir den digitalen Euro brauchen, sondern auch, wie er aussehen soll. Und Apple, Google, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard wickeln zwar einen immensen Teil des europäischen Geldverkehrs ab, sie sitzen aber allesamt außerhalb der Europäischen Union.

Und es ist gut, dass wir an einer europäischen Lösung arbeiten. Ich betrachte den digitalen Euro als Chance. Aber er muss richtig gemacht werden. Und er braucht Eigenschaften, damit er gelingen kann. Digitales Zentralbankgeld muss so anonym sein wie Bargeld. Es muss ein Freiheitsgewinn und ein Innovationstreiber sein, sonst brauchen wir es nicht. Und der digitale Euro funktioniert auch nur in Verbindung mit unseren Geschäftsbanken und nicht an ihnen vorbei. Er darf das zweistufige Bankensystem nicht gefährden.

Und wir haben eben über Kryptowerte gesprochen. Der digitale Euro sollte eine Versöhnung sein zwischen dem traditionellen Finanz- und Währungssystem und der rasant wachsenden decentralised-finance-Wirtschaft. Wir sind aktuell in einer Phase, in der die EZB für dieses Vorhaben dezentralisierte Lösungen einschließlich distributed—ledger—Technologie prüft. Und eine dezentrale Lösung als unterliegende Technologie für den digitalen Euro wäre gut. Und ein programmierbarer digitaler Euro wäre geradezu die Spitze, denn er könnte mit Blockchain-basierten stablecoins wie Euro Tether, circled eurocoins und überhaupt mit vielen anderen Blockchain-Entwicklungen mithalten und würde Vorteile auch gegenüber SEPA bieten. Eine Sache soll der digitale Euro nicht beinhalten, wie heute Morgen zu lesen war: Der digitale Euro sollte gebührenfrei sein. Er muss gebührenfrei sein.

  Marek Belka (S&D). – Mr President, Commissioner, David Bowie once said that tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming. By working on the digital euro, we prove to act on these words.

The digital euro will dramatically change how our financial system functions, but it may also increase our strategic autonomy in payments, strengthen the international role of the euro, and preserve the role of public money as a monetary anchor for the payment system. However, there are many questions to be answered in order to know where we are heading. Number one: what is the added value of such currency and do we really believe that our citizens need it? Number two: how will the Commission and the ECB guarantee privacy for the users of the digital euro without allowing it to be a great treat for money launderers and fraudsters? Number three: do we have the necessary robust and resilient infrastructure to support the widespread adoption of the digital euro? Without it, this project might simply become a beautiful failure.

  Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR). – Voorzitter, beste collega's, van alle kanten groeit de kritiek op de digitale euro. Dat is ook heel begrijpelijk. Voor welk probleem biedt dit nieuwe concept eigenlijk een oplossing? Is er wel een probleem?

Duidelijk is in elk geval dat de ECB met deze digitale euro een enorme machtspositie krijgt. Ze zou bijvoorbeeld negatieve rentes kunnen gaan instellen. Ze zou zelfs de euro ook programmeerbaar kunnen maken, met andere woorden zo kunnen instellen dat je je geld alleen kunt uitgeven aan zaken die de overheid acceptabel vindt.

Mijn vraag aan de Commissie is: hoe kijkt u daar eigenlijk tegenaan? Ziet u deze risico's ook? En hoe zit het met de borging van de privacy?

En dan te bedenken dat de recente analyse die de commissie ECON heeft laten uitvoeren, laat zien dat er nog helemaal geen markt voor de digitale euro bestaat. Ik zou zeggen: laten we de bezwaren serieus nemen en stoppen met dit project. De risico's en onzekerheden zijn eenvoudigweg te groot.

PŘEDSEDNICTVÍ: DITA CHARANZOVÁ
místopředsedkyně

  Milan Uhrík (NI). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, bez ohľadu na to, či digitálne euro bude, alebo nebude, právo na hotovostné platby musí zostať zachované. Totižto, čo by znamenal prechod len na čisto digitálnu menu? Na jednej strane úplne nekontrolované digitálne meny znamenajú vážne riziká prania špinavých peňazí, financovania terorizmu, štátnych prevratov alebo vojen. Na druhej strane príliš kontrolované digitálne meny môžu vlády zneužívať na sledovanie svojich občanov, kontrolu občanov, prípadne na nútenie, aby ľudia kupovali len tie správne veci, alebo, čo je horšie, v prípade potreby jednoducho dokážu nepohodlným občanom ich digitálne peniaze jedným kliknutím doslova a do písmena vypnúť. Veď si len spomeňme na protestujúcich kanadských kamionistov, ktorým kanadská vláda počas covidu zablokovala prístup k ich súkromným peniazom, a zachránila ich vtedy jedine hotovosť. A práve preto hotovosť musí zostať aj naďalej zachovaná nielen ako platobný prostriedok, ale najmä ako nástroj osobnej slobody občanov.

  Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, verdaderamente me alegro mucho de que se esté celebrando este debate hoy, porque es un debate muy importante.

Es indudable que la propuesta del euro digital mejoraría la eficiencia de los pagos al reducir costes y tiempos de transacción. Asimismo, reforzaría el papel internacional del euro al permitir que la Unión diversificara sus reservas internacionales de divisas y redujera su dependencia del dólar estadounidense. En definitiva, nos posicionaría un paso más cerca de nuestros objetivos de digitalización y fortalecimiento de la posición de la Unión Europea en la economía global.

Sin embargo, en esta fase final de diseño de esta propuesta, debemos tener en cuenta que, el euro digital no debe presentarse, en ningún escenario, como un instrumento para crear depósitos de valor en el Banco Central Europeo y que debe ser un medio de pago que compita en igualdad de condiciones con los ya existentes. De lo contrario, la creación del euro digital tendría un impacto negativo en la financiación de la economía y la estabilidad del sistema bancario europeo.

En este sentido, es importante recordar que los bancos comerciales son el eslabón fundamental de la política monetaria de la Unión y que su papel esencial de intermediación financiera no debe ser socavado por la introducción del euro digital. De esta forma, el sistema financiero europeo podrá seguir funcionando de manera eficiente para apoyar a la economía real.

En conclusión, insto a la Comisión a que su propuesta establezca las salvaguardas necesarias para que el futuro euro digital cumpla con su propósito de mejorar la vida de los ciudadanos europeos, al mismo tiempo que preserva la estabilidad financiera y la integridad del sistema bancario europeo.

  Ladislav Ilčić (ECR). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, dragi ljudi, kad plaćate karticom, za to plaćanje zna samo vaša banka. Kad provodite pametno plaćanje preko svojeg mobitela, za to zna i središnji sustav koji u konačnici kontrolira država.

Jeste li sigurni da političarima želite dostaviti informacije o svim vašim transakcijama i dati im mogućnost da ih oni u konačnici kontroliraju ili ograniče? Mislite da je to nemoguće? Sjetite se samo Covid mjera i kako su vas političari ograničili. Zar mislite da je nemoguće da će ubuduće ograničiti vaše transakcije ako, recimo, zaključe da proizvodite previše CO2 ili jedete previše mesa, a premalo kukaca?

Pitajte moje kolege s ljevice. Mnogi od njih će vam reći da bi takva ograničenja bila opravdana radi zaštite planeta ili dobrobiti životinja. Jasno je da je pametno plaćanje jednostavnije od kartice ili keša, ali i ostaviti otključanu kuću kad odlaziš jednostavnije od zaključavanja, pa ipak je zaključavate.

Dakle, nemojte biti naivni, čuvajte plaćanje karticom i kešom. Digitalni novac i pametno plaćanje su puni gubitak vaših temeljnih sloboda.

  Peter van Dalen (PPE). – Voorzitter, in de discussie over de digitale euro wordt één vraag eigenlijk niet beantwoord: wie zit erop te wachten?

Mensen kunnen met de digitale euro direct bij de Europese Centrale Bank terecht. Oké, ze kunnen daar betalingen doen en ze worden dan misschien minder afhankelijk van commerciële banken. Maar de meeste mensen in Europa hebben gelukkig uitstekende toegang tot bestaande vormen van betalingsverkeer. Die zijn ook hartstikke efficiënt.

Waarom zouden we die digitale euro dan moeten hebben? Moeten burgers beschermd worden tegen de macht van grote banken? De Centrale Bank zelf stelt dat de financiële positie van die banken niet in gevaar mag worden gebracht door de digitale euro. Ik hoor aan de andere kant ook mensen vragen: wat gaat die digitale euro ons brengen? Ik hoor scepsis en wantrouwen. En die scepsis en wantrouwen hebben direct te maken met vragen over de privacy, over de programmeerbaarheid en over het mogelijk verplichte karakter van deze digitale euro. Ik neem aan dat de ECB er allemaal eervol en vertrouwenwekkend mee omgaat. Maar zit er dan iemand te wachten op dit nieuwe project, dat ook nieuwe problemen en wantrouwen met zich meebrengt?

Voor mij hoeft die digitale euro niet. Wij hebben hier vooral te maken met een oplossing voor een niet-bestaand probleem.

  Danuta Maria Hübner (PPE). – Madam President, colleagues, I am among those who see the introduction of the digital euro as a meaningful opportunity for Europe. I see it as well as a chance to strengthen the international role of the euro.

The important question for me is whether the EU should focus its efforts on modernising the digital form of the euro for a wholesale purpose, or implement a retail digital euro first. At present, discussions in the euro system seem to be mainly focused on the retail option, but addressing the wholesale version could be easier and quicker as it would concern large—value payments, and these are common amongst euro system banks and counterparties which already have the necessary infrastructure in place.

With the exception of China and a few others, our global counterparts are focusing on the wholesale version of the digital currency. For both options, interoperability with other currencies will be a key aspect. CBDCs can make cross-border payments cheaper, faster and more efficiently settled compared with current payment systems. Making the digital euro usable for cross-border payments will significantly increase its international attractiveness.

I also think that it is critically important that the regulatory framework for the digital euro is fit for the future. That implies that the regulation that the Commission will present and the infrastructure that the ECB will build should not stifle future innovation, but rather be flexible enough to accommodate and incentivise future technological changes. To this end, it is fundamental that European Union authorities draw on the knowledge and experience of the private sector and provide them with a framework that they can leverage to develop new value—added services for citizens and businesses.

  Othmar Karas (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, meine sehr geehrten Damen und Herren! Es ist richtig und notwendig, dass wir uns mit den Fragen eines digitalen Zentralbankgeldes, dem sogenannten digitalen Euro, befassen. Es ist auch notwendig, dass die Europäische Zentralbank derzeit eine umfassende, ergebnisoffene Prüfung durchführt. Zum Ersten, weil über 90 Prozent der Zentralbanken weltweit an digitalen Währungen arbeiten, in zwölf Ländern Pilotprojekte gestartet wurden und es in neun Ländern bereits ein digitales Zentralbankgeld gibt. Zum Zweiten auch deshalb, weil die Zahlungssysteme, die wir derzeit haben – Visa, Mastercard und andere –, entweder national oder international, aber nicht europäisch sind und weil wir an einem europäischen europaweiten Zahlungssystem arbeiten müssen. Und drittens, weil wir mit einer Vielzahl von Innovationen konfrontiert sind, von Kryptowährungen bis Token.

Es ist also klar, dass der digitale Euro, das digitale Zentralbankgeld, ausschließlich ein ergänzendes Zahlungsmittel ist, das schnell, einfacher und sicherer ist. Es ist auch klar, dass es ohne gesetzliche Grundlagen keine digitale Währung geben kann. Diese können nur das Europäische Parlament und der Rat der Mitgliedstaaten gemeinsam beschließen. Damit haben die Bürgerinnen und Bürger das letzte Wort, und dieses ist noch nicht gesprochen.

Vystoupení na základě přihlášení se zvednutím ruky

  Katarína Roth Neveďalová (S&D). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, pani komisárka McGuinness, ja by som sa chcela v prvom rade poďakovať, že ste dnes predstavili návrh Komisie, alebo teda to, čo si Vy myslíte, že by malo byť digitálnym eurom. Takisto je dôležité zdôrazniť aj pre občanov Európskej únie, že toto je vlastne prvá debata o digitálnom eure, ktorú my vedieme v Európskom parlamente, a určite neznamená jeho zavedenie, ani to, že s ním súhlasíme alebo nesúhlasíme, ale je to naozaj diskusia.

Vidíme naozaj rast kryptomien na celom svete a toto je vlastne naša odpoveď na to. Ale naozaj nám stačí to, že to je preto, že to robia všetci, budeme to robiť aj my?

Ja si myslím, že aj v dnešnej debate zaznelo veľakrát, že potrebujeme jasnú definíciu toho, v čom to digitálne euro bude lepšie ako euro, ktoré používame, aby sme to my vedeli vysvetliť vlastne aj občanom Európskej únie. Takisto pre našu politickú skupinu je veľmi jasne dôležité, aby bolo digitálne euro bezpečné, aby bolo ľahko používateľné, aby bola ochrana vkladov a ochrana užívateľov tejto meny a takisto ochrana kupujúcich, a hlavne ich súkromia, keď budú toto euro používať. Čiže ja vnímam pozitívne to, že o ňom diskutujeme, ale určite by sme si mali definovať, v čom je naozaj tá pridaná hodnota a prečo ho použijeme, prečo ho máme používať a či to naozaj naši občania budú vnímať pozitívne. To je určite dôležité, pretože my ako politici môžeme mať názor, ale občania sú tí, ktorí ho budú používať.

(Konec vystoupení na základě přihlášení se zvednutím ruky)

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, this has been a really lively and very useful and important discussion. Now, whether you’re for or against, sceptical or an enthusiast for a potential digital euro, it is a political project and this Parliament is having its say and that will continue as it should.

Mr Ferber, I think, is not in the chamber, but he asked a very big question, which, as a former journalist, I used to ask all the time: why? And I would say to this because we already have a very digitalised financial system and we need to look ahead and make sure that the digital euro is fit for the future.

But let me just try and imagine, had we never been discussing a digital euro right now. So if it was not on the agenda and no preparations were being done. In a few years’ time, I think this House would be asking: why not? Why did you not prepare for the possibility of a digital central bank currency in Europe?

I also note the study prepared by Parliament for the ECON Committee, with a very catchy headline. It says ‘Digital euro: when in doubt, abstain, but be prepared’. And I think that’s exactly what we are doing today and what we’ve been doing with the ECB over the last number of months. And it is still a work in progress.

But I want to talk about cash because in my view, citizens, young and old, appreciate cash and appreciate choice. They may use a wallet for digital payments, but they appreciate access to cash. And I think it’s important to outline what we are doing when it comes to protecting the right to have access to cash.

Issues concerning the acceptance of cash and access to it have emerged right across a number of our Member States, and it can lead to issues for people, particularly vulnerable groups. So unless we safeguard the acceptance of and access to cash, the effectiveness of legal tender could be undermined.

If the Commission decides to grant legal tender status to the digital euro and define its meaning, we believe that we need to do the same for cash. So in the second quarter, the Commission will also propose a regulation on the legal tender status of euro cash based. The legislative proposal will be based on the 2021 ECJ new ruling judgment, which defines three key principles of legal tender: mandatory acceptance at full face value and the power to discharge payment obligations.

I think when it comes to the issue of privacy, this was raised rightly by members in the House here and it is a very important topic, because privacy is a fundamental right and it’s a highly valued issue for citizens. And this has been clearly substantiated by the ECB consultation and our targeted consultation.

We are also mindful of providing a solid framework to efficiently and effectively fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. So the regulation will aim to ensure that these objectives can be reconciled. So, for example, we could have an offline use to do proximity payments, peer-to-peer payments, and this would be important for citizens and in particular for unbanked people, as referenced in the debate. These offline payments could offer higher privacy.

On the issue which was raised and rightly by MEP Hübner on retail versus wholesale, the Commission is examining central bank digital currencies in the broad sense, so the current work is focusing on a retail digital euro, which is also in the regulatory competence of the Commission. That said, the wholesale use of a digital euro in security settlements can also be of interest.

The question also about the role of the euro for the future, the international role of the euro, the open strategic autonomy. All of these topics raised today are hugely important.

I repeat the point that the digital euro needs a strong democratic underpinning, and Parliament’s views and support are essential within and beyond the legislative process.

The digital euro will ensure the continued availability of central bank money and payments, and this will protect the stability of our monetary and payment system and ensure our open strategic autonomy. The digital euro would be an additional pan-European choice available for payments, and we will aim to ensure competition with the private payment sector and to avoid the disintermediation of banks.

Let me just say something very clear in case you’ve missed it. This is not a Big Brother project or indeed a Big Sister project. But why does Big Brother sound much more alarming than Big Sister? But I say that in all sincerity and with some humour. I respect those who have that view. But frankly, I would ask us to calm down a little. We should not address this issue to citizens in this chamber as any sense of a project of control. It’s a project of choice. It’s also recognising that the citizens in this chamber, many of them use cash and digital payments and will want to continue to do that. We do have a euro, which is a unique currency for the eurozone, and it’s very important that we do keep it fit for the future.

I dare say I have not convinced those who see it as that awesome project of control, but I hope the vast majority of Members in this House will view this debate as the start of a very important conversation, which you will, I’m sure, engage with your constituencies and citizens, and that we will continue this debate until such time as the legislative process is before you.

  Jessika Roswall, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, honourable Members, Commissioner, I’ve listened very carefully and with great interest to this debate. Our exchange today has shown the importance that our institutions attach to the digital euro project and setting an appropriate regulatory framework that addresses both opportunities and risks for our citizens, for our businesses and for our economy at large.

A potential digital euro should build on the already established values within the Union of an efficient, safe, affordable and accessible payment system. Our discussion today has shown that these issues should deserve our attention once we start examining the forthcoming Commission proposal. And as many of you have pointed out – and as the Commissioner very clearly also said and I pointed out in my first intervention – it is important that this is an inclusive project. It will affect our citizens and our businesses and, therefore, it has to be built on a solid democratic basis. But thank you very much for this debate and thank you for your attention.

  President. – That concludes the debate.