Released on April 5 by the European Commission (EC), the Consultation Paper purpose is to gather further information on expected impacts on key industries, users and other stakeholders.

Issues the Commission is consulting on:

• Users’ needs and expectations for a digital euro

• The digital euro’s role for the EU’s retail payments and the digital economy

• Making the digital euro available for retail use while continuing to safeguard the legal tender status of euro cash

• The digital euro’s impact on the financial sector and the financial stability

• Application of anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML-CFT) rules

• The privacy and data protection aspects

• International payments with a digital euro

The Commission is seeking comment from the following: payment industry specialists, payment service providers (including credit institutions, payment and e-money institutions), payment infrastructure providers, developers of payment solutions, merchants, merchant associations, consumer associations, retail payments regulators, and supervisors, anti-money laundering (AML) supervisors, Financial Intelligence Units, and other relevant authorities and experts.

Comments should be submitted by June 14, 2022.