European Union: European Parliament passed resolution on European Central Bank annual report 2025 addressing digital euro

On 10 February 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the European Central Bank’s 2025 annual report. The resolution reaffirms that the ECB’s primary objective is to maintain price stability and addresses developments in EU payment systems. Parliament states that equal access to payment services is necessary for participation in economic life and notes the implications of increasing digitalisation, including the role of private and non-EU payment providers. In this context, it expresses support for the development of a digital euro, available both online and offline, as a complement to cash and private banking services. The resolution indicates that a digital euro could contribute to EU monetary sovereignty, reduce fragmentation in retail payments and support the functioning of the single market, including in light of geopolitical uncertainty and reliance on non-EU payment infrastructures. It specifies that any digital euro should comply with privacy and data protection standards and ensure broad acceptance by merchants across the EU. The resolution also refers to the continued role of cash, calls for enhanced monitoring of crypto-assets, including stablecoins, and notes ongoing distributed ledger technology projects for wholesale central bank money settlement.