70 Economists Release Open Letter: Calling for Digital Euro Project to Prioritize Public Interest

Odaily News: 70 economists and policy experts have released an open letter, urging Members of the European Parliament to support a digital euro that clearly serves the public interest. The letter argues that this is crucial for Europe's monetary sovereignty and for ensuring access to central bank money in an economy with declining cash usage. It warns that without a strong public option, private stablecoins and foreign payment giants could exert greater influence over Europe's digital payments landscape. Signatories include José Leandro, former EU Executive Board Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and French economist Thomas Piketty, among others. They describe the proposed Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as a public good, advocating for a public digital payment method issued by the Eurosystem, with basic services free of charge and covering the entire euro area, to complement rather than replace cash.