In a written answer on 16 July 2026, Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis sought to allay concerns over the digital euro, emphasising that it will complement rather than replace cash and that its design includes safeguards against programmability, outages, and over-reliance on third parties. The reply, addressed to Austrian MEP Gerald Hauser (PfE), aims to reassure citizens and businesses worried about privacy, resilience, and the future of cash.
The answer comes as the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) advance technical preparations for a central bank digital currency. Dombrovskis pointed to the Commission's Single Currency Package, including a proposal for a regulation on the legal tender of cash, which would require Member States to monitor and ensure wide acceptance of euro cash. On programmability, he cited Article 24(2) of the Commission's digital euro proposal, which states that 'the digital euro shall not be programmable money', a provision maintained in the Council's negotiation mandate of 17 December 2025. Regarding resilience, Dombrovskis noted that the digital euro would be built on European infrastructure and standards, with an offline functionality enabling payments during connectivity outages. He also referenced the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which obliges service providers to withstand and recover from ICT disruptions. The Council's mandate added a new chapter on resilience and preparedness to the draft regulation.
The answer is largely declarative, restating existing legislative proposals and technical choices rather than announcing new measures. It does not provide specific timelines for the digital euro's introduction or address all technical concerns raised by Hauser, such as the risk of blackouts affecting the entire system. The Commission's stance signals a continued push for the digital euro, with an emphasis on preserving cash and embedding safeguards, while leaving detailed implementation to the ECB and co-legislators. Institutional follow-up is expected as trilogues on the digital euro package proceed, with the European Parliament and Council negotiating the final text.