70 economists issue joint open letter: Urge digital euro project to prioritize public interest

According to Odaily, 70 economists and policy experts have issued an open letter calling on 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 funds in economies where cash usage is declining. It also warns that, in the absence of a strong public option, private stablecoins and foreign payment giants could have a greater impact on Europe's digital payments. Signatories include José Leandro, former Executive Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to the EU, French economist Thomas Piketty, and others. They describe the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC) as a public good and advocate for the establishment of a public digital payment method issued by the Eurosystem, offering basic services for free and covering the entire eurozone, to complement rather than replace cash.