Dobesedni zapisi razprav

Ponedeljek, 5. februar 2024 - Strasbourg

14. Takojšnja plačila v eurih (razprava)

  Die Präsidentin. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über den Bericht von Michiel Hoogeveen im Namen des Ausschusses für Wirtschaft und Währung über den Vorschlag für eine Verordnung des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates zur Änderung der Verordnungen (EU) Nr. 260/2012 und (EU) 2021/1230 im Hinblick auf Sofortüberweisungen in Euro (COM(2022)0546 – C9-0362/2022 – 2022/0341(COD)) (A9-0230/2023).

  Michiel Hoogeveen, rapporteur. – Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, let me first thank the Commission for its excellent initiative. That was the basis for the work done by the Parliament and the Council. With the agreement on instant payments, we deliver on an opportunity to do something that people and businesses truly care about. They will be able to transfer money within 10 seconds at any time of the day, including outside business hours, not only within the same country, but also to another EU Member State.

This is not about some abstract plumbing of the financial system, or super-technical capital requirements for banks or insurance companies, or fine-tuning of the European statistical system; instead, this is something very concrete, and something that Europeans truly care about in their daily lives.

Ask yourself: have you ever wondered why a package from an online retailer reaches you faster than a payment from a friend from another EU Member State? Why can we send emails all over the world in a split second, but a payment from Belgium to Latvia still takes two to three business days?

Madam President, our payments transaction system is based on a system from the 1980s. With the Instant Payments Regulation, we finally enter the 21st century. I would like to highlight four important aspects.

First, convenience: 10 seconds for each transaction. Some EU countries, such as the Netherlands or Spain, already have their own national instant payment scheme, but this will now become a reality across Europe. Good for citizens and companies who can send and receive their money faster.

Second, security: the IBAN name check – as some banks are already using in my country, the Netherlands – is now introduced across Europe, making transactions more secure than ever.

Third, we make our markets less dependent on foreign companies for both online and card payments.

Fourth, openness and innovation: fintechs will also gain access to the payments infrastructure, but even market vendors will be able, in theory, to set up their own QR system for receiving instant payments. No more high costs to rent a payment terminal in order to be connected to the payment infrastructure.

It is high time that instant payments become a reality: for European citizens, as they will enjoy smoother payment options; for European businesses, as they will face lower costs; and for European payment services, as they will become more and more competitive.

I enthusiastically welcome the trilogue agreement, which clearly shows the ambition that Europe needs. Ambition on scope, for example, by the inclusion of payment institutions and electronic money institutions, as insisted by the Parliament. This should enhance innovation. Ambition on fees, most notably by requiring that charges for instant payments may not be higher than charges for traditional, non-instant payments. Such affordability is the key to realising the maximum benefits for consumers. And last but not least, ambition on the entry into force of this regulation; the Parliament negotiating team has successfully negotiated implementation deadlines in the very near future.

Let me conclude by thanking the Commission – Commissioner McGuinness – for an excellent proposal, and the Spanish Presidency and my colleagues, shadow rapporteurs, for the constructive collaboration during our negotiations.

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, colleagues, I was almost was going to say ‘let me second the speech of the rapporteur’ and maybe start with a big thank you to Michiel Hoogeveen, because you worked tirelessly and effectively with the shadows to get this piece of legislation done in a very timely manner.

The matter of instant payments should not be new, but it is not the norm and won’t be unless this legislation is in place. Instant payments are a very practical issue for all of us, businesses and citizens. The idea is very simple, allowing all of us to send and receive money in less than 10 seconds.

Instant payments have a really powerful impact: consumers can easily avoid penalties for late payments and manage their household budgets more effectively. Businesses get better cash flow, which is really important for SMEs. Retailers get more options around payments, allowing them to offer better services to their customers, including instant refunds. NGOs and charities can receive contributions more quickly, especially when funds are urgently needed in times of crisis. In the public sector, too, there’s advantages in terms of cash flow and collecting fiscal revenues.

Now we are not trailblazing in this area: this regulation will allow the EU to catch up with international markets like Brazil, India, Australia and the UK, where instant payments are growing fast. The technology to provide for instant payments is well established and, frankly, uptake has been too low in the EU.

But your work in this chamber, and the colleagues who specifically worked on the file: your work will make a difference, it will change matters for the better. And I repeat the fact that you worked very effectively and in a timely way, and we would say that this is rare indeed on files in the European system. As Gaeilge, that’s in Irish, we would say ‘an rud is annamh is iontach’ – ‘what’s seldom is wonderful’. The outcome of the negotiations struck a very good balance: Parliament helped make sure that the regulation is ambitious, and your work has also been welcomed by both payment service users and providers.

You led important changes, allowing payment institutions and electronic money institutions to become eligible to participate in designated payment systems, improving consumer protection against fraud with your changes to the payment verification service, where providers will have to enable users to check whether the name and the IBAN match. This service will now be made available not just for instant payments, but for all non-instant payments, and this verification service will be provided to all users free of charge.

I really do look forward to the vote on Wednesday. Colleagues, there are some files which test all our patience and reserves, but happily this is not one of them.

  Markus Ferber, im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen, liebe Kollegen! Jeder kennt die Situation: Man macht eine Überweisung, das Geld ist sofort vom eigenen Konto abgebucht, aber es dauert mindestens einen, meistens zwei Tage, bis das Geld auch beim Empfänger angekommen ist. Und ist das Wochenende dazwischen, ist ein Feiertag dazwischen, dauert es noch entsprechend länger.

Im 21. Jahrhundert gibt es eigentlich keinen guten Grund mehr dafür, dass die Wertstellung so lange dauert. Deswegen ist es auch richtig, dass hier der europäische Gesetzgeber eingegriffen hat: Künftig reden wir bei Überweisungen nicht mehr von Tagen, sondern von Sekunden. Der Übergang von der klassischen Überweisung zur Sofortüberweisung ist wie der Wechsel von der Postkutsche zum E-Mail.

Mit der neuen Verordnung werden Sofortüberweisungen künftig zum Standard, und zwar genau zu denselben Konditionen wie normale Überweisungen. Heute haben wir noch die Situation, dass einige Banken Sofortüberweisungen als Premium-Dienstleistung anbieten und sich diesen Service auch noch gut bezahlen lassen. Das wird künftig anders sein. Der europäische Gesetzgeber hat sich hier für eine absolut verbraucherfreundliche Variante entschieden, und das unterstützen wir als EVP-Fraktion natürlich.

Mit Sofortüberweisungen machen wir einen ganz großen Schritt hin zum Zahlungsverkehr der Zukunft. Das bedeutet aber auch, dass wir uns überlegen müssen, ob wir Initiativen wie den digitalen Euro für den Endkunden wirklich benötigen.

Die Europäische Zentralbank hat ja die unmittelbare Wertstellung von Transaktionen als einen der großen Vorteile gepriesen, aber auch, dass keine Zwischenhändler, Kreditkartensysteme oder andere Anbieter benötigt werden. All das lösen wir jetzt mit der Sofortüberweisung auch.

Deswegen glaube ich schon, dass wir uns noch einmal darüber unterhalten sollten, wie wir einen digitalen Euro ausgestalten sollen. Mit dieser Regelung haben wir jedenfalls ein gutes Argument, dass wir ihn für den Endverbraucher nicht brauchen.

  Marek Belka, w imieniu grupy S&D. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Pani Komisarz! Przede wszystkim dziękuję Michielowi Hoogeveenowi, sprawozdawcom cieniom i naszemu zespołowi technicznemu za współpracę nad tym dossier. Pamiętam, że gdy zgłosiłem się, by być współodpowiedzialny za ten dokument, mówiono mi: po co ci to? To przecież tylko o przelewach w euro, w Radzie nawet nie chcą, by to dotyczyło krajów spoza strefy euro. Nawet nie wiedzą Państwo, jak mnie to zmotywowało i koniec końców wspólnie stworzyliśmy bardzo dobry dokument.

Po pierwsze, przelewy natychmiastowe w euro będą także dostępne z i na konta niedenominowane w euro. Wywalczyliśmy to, by nie dzielić Unii Europejskiej na kraje A i kraje B, pokazując jak powinien funkcjonować wspólny rynek. Po drugie, przelewy natychmiastowe w euro mają być nie droższe niż zwykłe przelewy w euro dostępne przez 24 godziny na dobę, 7 dni w tygodniu. To nie tylko wygoda dla obywateli, ale także krok ku strategicznej autonomii Unii w sprawach finansowych i konkurencja dla pozaunijnych kart kredytowych. Pomogliśmy instytucjom niebankowym w dostępie do bankowej infrastruktury, walczymy z praniem pieniędzy, zapobiegamy błędnym przelewom.

Kluczowym jest jednak to, że pokazaliśmy, że w tak skomplikowanej materii, jaką są finanse i bankowość, Unia Europejska robi coś dla obywatela, coś, co obywatel rozumie i odczuje w życiu codziennym. Pokazujemy, że Orbán, Kaczyński, Wilders czy inni przeciwnicy Unii nie mają racji. Unia Europejska działa i działa dla nas wszystkich.

  Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, au nom du groupe Renew. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, avez-vous déjà fait un virement où l’on vous propose de payer 1 euro supplémentaire pour choisir l’option de paiement instantané en dix secondes? Eh bien c’est désormais fini, car nous faisons du paiement instantané la norme.

Désormais, les prestataires de services de paiement devront fournir aux consommateurs et aux entreprises des solutions de paiement instantanées en plus des virements classiques. Il ne sera plus possible d’appliquer des frais supplémentaires aux paiements instantanés qui soient supérieurs à ceux facturés pour les virements ordinaires.

Oui, nous continuons la numérisation de notre économie, et nous le faisons en renforçant la sécurité. Comment? En nous assurant que, pour les paiements instantanés et les virements ordinaires, le nom du bénéficiaire corresponde bien à l’IBAN (par le biais d’une vérification), et ce afin d’éviter les erreurs et les fraudes.

Nous rappelons également, avec ces nouvelles règles, que l’euro est bien notre projet politique et redisons notre attachement à cette monnaie unique, puisque les nouvelles règles entreront aussi en vigueur dans des pays qui ne sont pas membres de la zone euro – d’ici une période plus longue, toutefois.

Alors que l’Union des marchés de capitaux est une priorité pour 2024, cette nouvelle étape nous permettra de développer des solutions de paiement plus compétitives, de fluidifier les transactions dans l’Union européenne, d’améliorer l’autonomie stratégique du secteur économique et financier européen, afin de ne plus être dépendants des institutions financières de pays tiers.

Oui, grâce à cela, nous avons un verrou favorable à l’union des marchés des capitaux, et qui permet d’avancer.

  Claude Gruffat, au nom du groupe Verts/ALE. – Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, Monsieur le rapporteur, chers collègues, le texte que nous sommes sur le point d’adopter apportera des bénéfices certains pour les consommateurs et consommatrices de l’Union européenne. Les virements instantanés, c’est davantage de facilité, d’assurance, de sécurité et de praticité pour chacune et chacun en tant qu’individu, mais aussi en tant que petite ou moyenne entreprise.

Dans quelques mois, grâce aux travaux et combats que nous avons menés dans le cadre de ce règlement, il sera possible d’envoyer ou de recevoir très simplement des virements dans la zone euro en quelques secondes et gratuitement. Les banques ne pourront plus surtaxer ces virements instantanés. Au-delà de l’aspect pratique, la sécurité sera également au rendez-vous puisque la vérification de l’IBAN devra être réalisée par le fournisseur de service, et cela sans frais supplémentaires. Nous avons par ailleurs assuré les conditions de concurrence loyale et équitable avec les opérateurs électroniques, qui devront offrir les services aux mêmes conditions.

On peut regretter que ce délai soit plus long pour les pays hors zone euro, mais ces virements instantanés seront bientôt une réalité pour toute l’Union européenne, et c’est bien ainsi.

  Eugen Jurzyca, za skupinu ECR. – Vážená pani predsedajúca, bankový sektor vo väčšine členských krajín Európskej únie akoby v niektorých segmentoch zaspal dobu. Platby do inej banky, tuzemskej alebo zahraničnej, trvajú aj viac dní. Konkurencia ku klasickým bankám, teda moderné fintech spoločnosti, pritom umožňuje okamžité platby do celej Európskej únie, a dokonca väčšinou zadarmo.

Banky v súčasnosti takéto služby neponúkajú najmä kvôli chýbajúcemu konkurenčnému tlaku, myslím si. Neochotu bánk vidno aj na tom, že vo všetkých krajinách s najväčším podielom okamžitých platieb bol prvotný impulz koordinovaný centrálnou autoritou, napríklad štát, národná banka alebo banková asociácia.

Ide o príklad regulácie, ktorá prinesie úžitok pre spotrebiteľov. Keďže bankový sektor je regulovaný na celoúnijnej úrovni, aj túto reguláciu je potrebné koordinovať v rovnakom priestore. Opatrenie prispeje tiež k efektívnejšiemu fungovaniu na jednotnom trhu vďaka prehĺbeniu konkurencie na trhu s platbami. Podľa Komisie oneskorenie prevodov peňazí dočasne blokuje 200 miliárd EUR. Uvoľnenie tejto sumy bude znamenať rast 1,8 miliardy EUR.

  France Jamet, au nom du groupe ID. – Madame la Présidente, mes chers collègues, la mise en place de paiements instantanés dans la zone euro devrait être indéniablement un progrès pour les utilisateurs et les consommateurs dans l’Union européenne. Mais, ne nous y trompons pas: nous ne sommes pas pour autant sortis de la dépendance financière vis-à-vis des États-Unis.

Comment se fait-il que l’on ne parvienne pas à accorder nos 27 États membres vers ce même objectif, alors même que les BRICS, si différents soient-ils, ont réussi à se mettre d’accord sur un objectif politique commun: diminuer leur dépendance vis-à-vis des États—Unis pour ce qui est de leurs transactions financières? Bien sûr, ni la dédollarisation ni la fin de la domination américaine sur le système monétaire international ne sont pour demain. Mais partout – partout! – sauf au sein de l’Union européenne, qui s’aligne sur les États-Unis, au détriment d’ailleurs de la souveraineté nationale des États, les premiers pas sont lancés.

Il est étrange que l’on ne puisse tendre vers le même objectif – 27 États membres – dans le cadre de cette Union, qui, je vous le rappelle, a été créée justement pour peser sur la scène mondiale. Alors, soit la méthode est mauvaise, soit on peut s’interroger sur la volonté politique réelle de l’Union européenne quant à notre indépendance à l’égard de Washington.

  Mislav Kolakušić (NI). – Poštovana predsjedavajuća, danas Europskom unijom vladaju tri najveće mafijaške organizacije.

Prva i potpuno nedodirljiva farmaceutska mafija. Druga, koja je također u potpunosti nedodirljiva, to je bankarska mafija. One uopće ne odgovaraju za sitna potkradanja svojih klijenata, svojih potrošača. Znači, bankama je dozvoljeno, primjerice, da bez ikakve obavijesti zatvore vaš račun do 10 eura. Milijuni računa po 10 eura - nikom ništa. Banke prisvajaju konstantno novac građana. Kada naprave određenu prevaru, možete li ih kazneno goniti? Ne možete.

Ovaj dom i parlamenti nacionalni donijeli su da sve plaće moraju ići preko banaka. I onda oni izmišljaju tisuće naknada koje se građanima otimaju iz džepa jer građani nemaju mogućnost i pravo da uzmu taj novac direktno i da prime plaću u gotovini.

Mora se zaustaviti banke, mora se vratiti plaćanje plaća, isplata, u gotovini i na taj način ljudima omogućiti da ih pojedinci ne pljačkaju, jer to je mafija. To nije ništa drugo nego mafija.

  Lídia Pereira (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, há, de facto, poucas leis europeias que tenham tanto impacto nas nossas vidas como as que regulam os pagamentos. Praticamente todos os dias compramos algum produto ou contratamos algum serviço. E naturalmente, pagamos.

É por isso mesmo que precisamos que os pagamentos na Europa sejam seguros, sejam fáceis e sejam rápidos. Aliás, precisamos mesmo é que sejam instantâneos.

Este Regulamento vai, por isso, no sentido certo: garantir que os nossos pagamentos, as nossas transferências, são instantâneas. E na era da digitalização já não faz sentido esperar dias por uma transferência.

Exigir esta rapidez ao mercado, enquanto abrimos o espaço para as empresas de tecnologias financeiras, muitas delas start-ups, significa mais que apoiar a concorrência. É incentivar a inovação tecnológica e, por isso, a competitividade da nossa economia. E vamos continuar este trabalho com o pacote de pagamentos, ainda antes do final desta legislatura.

Estou francamente cansada de ver os governos nacionais a ignorar estas reformas, enquanto justificam os seus fracassos com a União Europeia.

Não se paga aos agricultores porque a Europa não deixa. Não se aumentam as polícias ou os professores por causa de uma interpretação das regras orçamentais europeias. Não se decide sobre os aeroportos e a ferrovia porque faltam fundos europeus. A desculpa é que já não pega.

A Europa discute, decide e faz. E este relatório é mesmo prova disso. Iremos além e os governos seriam bem-vindos a também acompanharem este trabalho.

  Jonás Fernández (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, en demasiadas ocasiones, los que trabajamos en la Comisión de Asuntos Económicos y Monetarios, fundamentalmente en asuntos relacionados con la regulación financiera, discutimos, aprobamos, negociamos reglamentos, directivas, y, en muchas ocasiones, es difícil traducir al lenguaje común lo que hacemos. Es difícil hablar de la solvencia de las entidades, de requerimientos de capital: son conceptos, quizá, demasiado alejados del día a día de los europeos.

Pero hoy estamos aquí para celebrar la aprobación de un nuevo Reglamento con cuyo contenido estamos relacionados diariamente. ¿Quién no ha hecho una transferencia bancaria? ¿Quién no ha intentado hacer un pago instantáneo a través de su cuenta corriente y ha visto que su banco le quería fijar una comisión? Pues bien, con este acuerdo del Consejo y del Parlamento, establecemos una nueva regulación de esos pagos instantáneos para hacer la vida mucho más fácil a los ciudadanos, para avanzar en la unión de los mercados de capitales y en la propia unión bancaria y, como digo, facilitar la vida de todos los europeos. Así que felicidades a todos. Un placer.

  Katarína Roth Neveďalová (NI). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, dnes, keď chcete napríklad s kolegami ísť na obed a zaplatiť tú čiastku, ktorú ste dlžní, alebo keď chcete zaplatiť napríklad kaderníkovi prevodom na jeho účet, tak často sa stáva, že táto platba trvá nejaký čas, pretože vaša banka si tie peniaze necháva, aby mohla s nimi obchodovať a na nich zarábala.

Momentálne tieto okamžité platby, o ktorých dnes hovoríme, sú častokrát špeciálne spoplatnené alebo stoja nejaké navyše peniaze. Som veľmi rada, že to už dlho tak nebude a že Európska únia pristupuje k takémuto kroku, že okamžité platby, ktoré sa veľmi často využívajú, nebude možné spoplatňovať vyššími poplatkami, čo sa týka bánk, a takisto ich budú viac môcť ľudia využívať, pretože sú to naozaj platby, ktoré občas potrebujete v poslednom momente zaplatiť, aby ste možno nedostali napríklad nejakú pokutu, ak s niečím meškáte. Som veľmi rada, že hovoríme o tom, že tieto platby by mali dokonca trvať 10 sekúnd, čiže by mali byť veľmi krátke, ale takisto, že hovoríme aj o ochrane ľudí, ktorí tieto peniaze používajú, čiže budeme kontrolovať aj to, na aké účty tieto peniaze idú, či naozaj ten účet, ktorý si myslíte, že patrí tomu človeku, je naozaj jeho.

V tejto súvislosti ale treba povedať, že samozrejme nenahrádzame hotovosť. Hotovosť bude naďalej používaná v Európskej únii, ale len umožňujeme ľuďom, aby mohli využívať okamžité platby ako rýchlejší spôsob platenia, a nebudú za ne špeciálne spoplatňovaní.

  Martine Kemp (PPE). – Madam President, dear colleagues. According to the Commission, nearly EUR 200 billion are temporarily blocked every day due to delays in payments, losing as a result an economic benefit of EUR 1.8 billion per year. Yes, you heard that right – the inefficiency of the European payment system costs us almost EUR 2 billion per year.

Such inoperability has been having a tremendous impact, not only on the efficient management of the household budgets of our citizens, especially of young people who have grown up in a digitalised world, but also on our SMEs, which are the backbone of our economy that lose control of their limited cash flows, and our NGOs and charities whose rapid action is urgently needed, particularly in times of crisis.

Dear colleagues, let’s face the truth – this reality is unacceptable for the biggest trading bloc of the world. Therefore, I very much welcome the Commission proposal that finally tackles the roots of the issue, making instant euro payments universally available and affordable, while increasing the level of trust and removing the level of friction in its processing.

I say ‘finally’, because as a leading European country for instant payments, Luxembourg has been advocating for the key importance of the matter for quite some time. This is a position that we hold because of our high level of awareness, awareness that must be spread to the whole union in order to avoid fragmentation – a demon that our community is fighting so hard to beat.

  Eero Heinäluoma (S&D). – Arvoisa puhemies, olen iloinen, että omassa talous- ja raha-asioiden valiokunnassani valmisteltu maksuliikennettä koskeva asetus on nyt tulossa lopullisesti hyväksyttäväksi.

Esitän kiitokset komissiolle ja koko parlamentin neuvottelutiimille ja erityisesti hyvälle ystävälleni Marek Belkalle. Olette tehneet hyvää työtä, joka helpottaa kansalaisten elämää ja tuo eurooppalaisen päätöksenteon hyödyt kaikkien kansalaisten ulottuville.

Uusi asetus mahdollistaa nopeat rahansiirrot: raha siirtyy jatkossa sekunneissa, ei enää päivissä. Vihdoinkin, voisi sanoa. Euroalueen rahasiirrot ja koko euroalueen rahaliikenne on jatkossa maksutonta. Kuluttajan asema paranee, kun pankit ovat velvollisia varmistamaan, että tilinumerot ja rahansaajan nimi vastaavat toisiaan. Neuvoteltu ehdotus täyttää parlamentin ja oman ryhmäni neuvottelutavoitteet hyvin ja ansaitsee tulla hyväksytyksi.

  Francesca Peppucci (PPE). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, quante volte vi è capitato di fare un pagamento, di veder uscire dal vostro conto corrente le risorse, ma di non vedere arrivare l'erogazione per giorni, un periodo che aumenta nel caso di festività. Ebbene, quotidianamente circa 200 miliardi di euro vengono bloccati in transito nel sistema finanziario.

Dieci secondi per un bonifico bancario, indipendentemente dal giorno e dall'ora: finalmente una decisione di buon senso, un passo in avanti per permettere che i nostri sistemi di pagamento siano all'avanguardia e capaci di rispondere velocemente alle esigenze di consumatori e di imprese per effettuare transazioni rapide, pratiche e sicure. Ma, soprattutto, basta con la differenza tra i costi tra i diversi tipi di pagamento e bonifici. La disponibilità dei propri soldi deve essere nelle mani di chi ne ha la proprietà e non deve incontrare lungaggini burocratiche o costi aggiuntivi.

L'Europa, con questo provvedimento, va ad armonizzare i sistemi di pagamento, garantendo vantaggi evidenti. Le imprese, soprattutto le piccole e medie imprese e i commercianti, potranno essere certe di avere immediatamente i loro fondi trasferiti. Un ampio passo in avanti, un grande passo in avanti che va ad armonizzare le misure in tutta l'Unione europea. Andiamo avanti verso la modernità, andiamo avanti verso le esigenze dei cittadini europei.

  Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, a Choimisinéir Mairead agus Deirdre ó Chorcaigh, the world of banking has evolved as technology becomes more advanced. While there is and should continue to be a place for cash payments in today’s society, the reality is that personal and business finance has become more and more digitised. Instant transfer banking, such as Revolut, has become very popular for a reason. The nature and means by which people transfer money has changed and we should embrace this shift.

While instant payments have been offered in the EU for a number of years, with this legislation, instant payments in euros will become a requirement, not a possibility, for payment service providers. This is good news for customers, as the proposals would require banks to be capable of receiving and sending instant payments without surcharge and across all channels, with payments capped at EUR 100 000.

This is particularly important for Irish consumers, as none of the Irish retail banks currently provide their customers with the ability to transfer money instantly. Relying on transfers that can take up to three working days is holding us back, and I support measures that mandate instant payment services, as we can see how efficient and convenient the technology is.

However, it is very important that enough time be given to implement this change securely. The last thing we want to see is unnecessary risks to our bank system security. Fortunately, this legislation also provides provisions to make transfers more trustworthy. This is a good news story for consumers, making instant euro payments affordable and accessible to citizens.

Spontane Wortmeldungen

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, doamna comisară, stimați colegi, acest regulament era așteptat de mult timp. Trebuie să înțelegem cu toții. Mă surprinde poziția unor colegi. Acest regulament de fapt ajută pe toată lumea: îl ajută pe consumator, pe cetățean, ajută IMM-urile, ajută siguranța, bineînțeles. Ajută, de asemenea, timpul, costul.

Să fim serioși, de foarte multe ori ni se întâmplă ca noi să plătim o marfă, banii pleacă de la noi, nu ajung la furnizori și sunt ținuți de bancă. Cashflow-ul și numerarul stau de fapt în bancă. Acest regulament va permite ca băncile să nu mai facă facultativ și contracost acest serviciu de plăți instant.

De aceea, cred că trebuie foarte bine explicat cetățenilor care este avantajul. Nu are legătură cu plata cash. Nu poți să plătești din Germania în Franța cash. Trebuie să faci aceste plăți instant și sper să se aplice cât mai repede acest regulament care, așa cum spuneam, pe lângă protecția gratuită a IBAN-ului, se verifică și se protejează acesta. Facem ca cashflow-ul la IMM-uri, mai ales, dar și numerarul să ajungă la timp și nu să fie stocat la bănci.

  Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, (start of speech off mic) ... the speed, ease and availability of instant payments on apps like Revolut and Monzo have been welcome, but the legislative proposal does not include any considerations regarding the prospective energy consumption and possibilities to ensure energy efficiency if the use of instant payments is increased.

While instant payments can enhance financial inclusion, ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to these systems without compromising their security or privacy remains a concern. I am also worried that increasing the uptake of IPs will also most likely reduce the will to maintain the ever—decreasing funding of infrastructure for cash payments.

Cash is still the most inclusive means of payment. There are no hidden charges when paying with cash and it provides the highest degree of independence and protection available from the private banking sector. Cash is still king, and I hope it stays that way.

(Ende der spontanen Wortmeldungen)

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, thank you very much, colleagues, for all of the contributions. And I think we now need to move to the next stage, which is implementation of the regulation. What I want to see are that these new rules are implemented not just quickly, but smoothly.

The payment sector is fully aware of what needs to be done and it has already started doing it. The deadlines are short but without deadlines there could be even further delays on instant payments, and this would deny consumers and businesses the chance of reaping the benefits of these instant payments. The payment sector can count on the support of the Commission, and we will make clarifications if questions arise during implementation.

The work of supporting instant payments does not stop with this regulation. This is at EU level but there is also the wider international picture to consider, especially the G20’s ambition around instant payments internationally. And we are committed as a Commission to that international work on instant payments.

And just as I finish, the honourable Member Mr Wallace will be glad to know that we do have on your desk at the moment a proposal referring to access and acceptability of cash. I certainly wasn’t the one who invented the phrase ‘cash is king’, but I’ve used it frequently because consumers want choice. They want the choice between digital and cash. And I hope that this House will pass the rules we have put in place to make sure that Member States abide by those requirements.

  Michiel Hoogeveen, rapporteur. – Madam President, I thank you, Commissioner McGuinness and all the colleagues who have contributed to this very important debate.

As I’ve already highlighted, the best feature of the Instant Payments Regulation for citizens is that it takes the EU closer to frictionless payments. This Regulation is important for Europe’s strategy to encourage European innovation, and we do this by making credit transfers cheaper for citizens and merchants.

This Regulation features rolling deadlines for Eurozone and non-Eurozone payment service providers to be able to receive and send instant payments. The first of these deadlines, that of payment service providers being able to receive instant payments in the Eurozone, will come into force already nine months from the entry of force of this Regulation, so we can expect instant payments will be a feature of the Eurozone before the end of 2024. Non-Eurozone Member States, understandably, need some extra time, and as someone who believes that the EU should be a flexible organisation, I was glad to support this as a rapporteur.

Now, Madam President, if you would allow me, as this mandate is coming to an end, it makes one contemplate on what we have achieved, what difference did we make for the people.

The EU is often perceived as this distant organisation to the people; often that’s probably true. With this file, it’s really the fundamental motivation of why I entered into politics; and that is to improve lives directly for the people, for our businesses, for our competitiveness.

I’m very proud of the work that we, as the Parliament, as a team and as an interinstitutional team have done on the file. I look forward to seeing the effects of our joint efforts come to fruition.

  Die Präsidentin. – Die Aussprache ist geschlossen.

Die Abstimmung findet am Mittwoch, 7. Februar 2024, statt.

Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 171 GO)

  Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska (ECR), na piśmie. – Jak długo dzisiaj czekamy na międzynarodowy przelew w euro? W zależności od banku, trwa to zazwyczaj od kilku godzin do nawet dwóch dni. Oferty poszczególnych banków oraz krajowe regulacje różnią się znacznie w tym zakresie, więc chcąc dokonać płatności (czy na nią oczekując) musimy uzbroić się w cierpliwość i hamować irytację. Rozporządzenie, które przyjmujemy, stanowi bardzo istotny element budowy prawdziwej integracji europejskiej i prawdziwego wspólnego rynku. Bo żeby jednolity rynek oraz swoboda przemieszczania rzeczywiście funkcjonowały - zarówno dla biznesu jak i dla klienta konieczna jest możliwość natychmiastowego przelewu i natychmiastowej płatności. Płatności natychmiastowe pozwolą przelać pieniądze w 10 sekund – nawet poza godzinami pracy banku – także do innego państwa członkowskiego. Dzięki temu każdy z nas będzie mógł szybciej dokonywać płatności, przedsiębiorstwa będą ponosić niższe koszty, a systemy w całej UE będą bardziej konkurencyjne. To nie tylko dbałość o interes konsumentów, ale także dążenie do strategicznej autonomii UE (w tym wypadku - do niezależności od międzynarodowych operatorów kart płatniczych) uzasadnia potrzebę tego rozporządzenia. I choć jest ono dość wymagające dla banków – zwłaszcza banków spoza strefy euro – wydaje się niezbędnym krokiem naprzód. W epoce cyfrowej możliwość natychmiastowego przelewu powinna być oczywistością.