When asked what accelerated the progress of the digital euro project, ECB Executive Board member Cipolo Nee stated that geopolitics undoubtedly played a role. Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Europe has begun to focus more on strategic autonomy. Initially, the focus was on energy dependence, especially natural gas, but then we realized that similar vulnerabilities exist in other strategic areas. Without our own digital payment system, we are subject to other operators. Having Europe's own technology is no small matter. Achieving this requires inspection and testing, and we have been doing this for some time. We are developing an innovative platform that will enable markets to offer more advanced services based on the digital euro.
