(Kitco News) - As 2022 comes to an end, governments worldwide are laying out their priorities for the year ahead, and cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have become focal points for many.
On Thursday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, representing the Council of the European Union, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, collectively signed the Joint Declaration on EU legislative priorities for 2023 and 2024, which included a section on the creation of a CBDC for the EU.
“We will give due attention to the review of EU economic governance to ensure it functions to support the EU and Member State economies and work to strengthen the capital markets and the role of the euro, including the digital euro, and complete the banking union,” the joint declaration said.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde previously stated that the European Commission was working on releasing a legislative proposal on a digital euro in the near future.
“The timely adoption of a legal framework for the digital euro would give all stakeholders the necessary legal certainty to prepare for its possible introduction and send a strong signal of political support,” Lagarde said. “I'm very much looking forward to the legislative proposal for establishing a digital euro, which the European Commission will propose shortly.”
According to the press release, the new declaration “commits the three EU institutions to giving utmost priority to initiatives aimed at delivering on the European Green Deal, achieving the digital transition and enhancing the EU’s resilience, [and] creating an economy that works for people.”
Altogether the declaration includes 164 key legislative proposals covering a wide range of topics including green initiatives, proposals for the budget, and the creation of a digital euro.
The European Central Bank previously announced that it had selected five new partners to help develop a digital euro prototype, with the tech giant Amazon making the shortlist. A spokesperson for the Commission said that it is planning to release the digital euro proposal in the second quarter of 2023.
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Also included in the list of priorities for 2023 is the EU's anti-money laundering package. It is anticipated that the government will look to establish an EU-wide anti-money laundering authority to oversee the program, which includes monitoring crypto firms.
“The Joint Declaration that we sign today reaffirms our commitment to work towards a fairer, greener and more digital Europe,” said Prime Minister Fiala.
The European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission have met yearly since 2016 to discuss the legislative priorities for the EU and come to an agreement on what the focus will be for the following year.
