"A few years ahead, we might all have digital Euros. However, one thing must be crystal clear: the digital Euro can complement cash as a means of payment, but must not replace it", said

Markus Ferber MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Economic and Monetary Affairs, after the decision by the European Central Bank (ECB) to get ready for the possible issuance of a digital Euro.

"The ECB is right to move ahead with the project of a digital Euro. It is a disappointment though that despite months of preliminary works, the ECB has still not unveiled any design features of the digital Euro. And for the time being, the ECB has not managed to clearly demonstrate the usefulness of a digital Euro for ordinary citizens. While the benefits for the corporate sector are conceivable, the digital Euro should also deliver tangible benefits for European citizens", said Ferber.

Ferber stresses that the ECB should pay particular attention to the effects of a digital Euro on the banking sector. If the introduction of a digital Euro causes banks to struggle to collect deposits and lend to the real economy, the side-effects of a digital Euro might be too severe. Photo by JIP, Wikimedia commons.