BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (KUNA) -- The European Parliament on Tuesday approved plans to launch the "digital euro", in a step reflecting growing European interest in strengthening the European Unionآ’s financial sovereignty, despite ongoing divisions among member states over the project.
MEPs voted in favour of two amendments to the European Central Bankآ’s annual report, expressing support for the introduction of the digital currency, with 438 lawmakers backing one of the amendments against 158 votes.
Under the proposal, the electronic version of the euro used in the single currency area, which includes 21 countries, would be available for use free of charge in shops, online, or in direct transfers between individuals.
MEPs acknowledged the ongoing work on introducing the digital euro, while at the same time stressing the importance of maintaining the role of traditional cash alongside the digital currency.
They warned that the increasing digitalisation of payments, if left exclusively to private or non-EU actors, could lead to new forms of exclusion for both users and merchants, calling on the European Central Bank to intensify its monitoring of crypto-assets and their implications for the European financial system. (end) arn.mt