EU committee approves digital euro legal framework

The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs voted 43 to 14 (1 abstention) in favour of the legal framework; trilogue negotiations are intended to lead to an agreement by the end of 2026. Timeline: twelve-month testing phase, pilot operation from mid-2027, consumer introduction in 2029 at the earliest. The goal is a public European payment infrastructure as a counterweight to Visa/Mastercard.

Important milestone for European payment sovereignty; banks fear deposit outflows (holding limits contested).