The European Parliament has expressed support for a fully-fledged digital euro that can operate both online and offline.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved an amendment to provide both options, rejecting a proposal from the European People’s Party (EPP) rapporteur to limit the currency to offline use only, according to Finextra.

Jonás Fernández, spokesperson for the Socialist & Democrats (S&D) on economic and monetary affairs, said:

“We call on the EPP rapporteur to respect the House’s position and abandon a strategy that splits the project. Delaying the approval of an online digital euro while pushing an offline version with far-right support is not viable. It is time to move forward decisively.”

The European Central Bank (ECB) is advancing the digital euro to safeguard monetary sovereignty amid cross-border trading volatility and unpredictable US policy.

The project requires a legislative framework before launch.

If lawmakers and national governments agree next year, the ECB could begin testing the digital euro in 2027, with a potential launch in 2029.

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