The reason had already been heard by the stakeholders (see EUROPE 13389/5), but the news was confirmed on Tuesday 16 April with the publication of the meeting agenda: the two draft European Parliament reports on the ‘single currency’ package (see EUROPE 13349/25 and 13350/24), tabled by Stefan Berger (EPP, German), will not be voted on by MEPs at the 18 April meeting of the Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.
This package includes a European Commission proposal to provide a legal framework for a potential digital euro, should it be launched (see EUROPE 13211/11) and a proposal to provide legal tender status for euro banknotes and coins (see EUROPE 13211/12).
Consequently, the two drafts cannot be put to the vote at the end of April, during the last plenary session of this European Parliament term.
At the EU Council, work on the two proposals, which began under the Spanish Presidency in the second half of 2023, is now progressing under the Belgian Presidency.
Following the Eurogroup meeting in Luxembourg on 11 April (see EUROPE 13387/19), the European Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, stressed that discussions in the Council on the digital euro project could be concluded by mid-2024.
This ordinary legislative procedure is taking place in parallel with the preparatory phase of the digital euro project, activated on 18 October 2023 by the Governing Council of the European Central Bank and commencing on 1 November 2023 (see EUROPE 13274/29). (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)