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Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament
Brussels, 3 June 2026
I am pleased to be back here again to discuss the digital euro.
I am encouraged by the good progress being made on the Single Currency Package negotiations by the ECON Committee, and I look forward to the European Parliament adopting its position on this important initiative in the near future.
Today I will start by addressing the important issue of ensuring access to cash, which you emphasised a few months ago in your resolution on the ECB Annual Report.[1] I will then focus on two key updates on the digital euro project since our last meeting in March: first, the agreements we have signed with European standard-setting bodies and, second, further preparations for next year’s piloting exercise.
Strengthening people’s freedom to use cash
Ensuring that people remain free to use cash is at the core of…