The European Parliament's ECON committee is approaching a vote on the digital euro regulation with political disagreements over the currency's functionality still unresolved. The European Commission proposed in June 2023 that the digital euro function as both an online and offline payment instrument. The Parliament endorsed this dual approach in an earlier procedural vote. Securing a plenary majority for the final regulation text remains uncertain as key parliamentary groups are divided on whether to retain online functionality.
The ECON committee vote is expected by mid-2026 according to the European Parliament's legislative planning. Political divisions within and between parliamentary groups risk delaying the timeline. The regulation's central question is whether restricting the digital euro to offline-only use would adequately serve its stated purpose as a public digital payment alternative alongside existing private sector options.
The ECB completed its digital euro preparation phase in October 2025. The central bank has stated that its readiness for potential issuance depends on EU co-legislators adopting the enabling regulation during 2026. Any delay to the ECON committee vote would compress the remaining legislative calendar for Council adoption and risk pushing the regulation past the ECB's planned 2027 launch target.