Discussion about for and consuming money | EUROtoday

In many international locations in Europe, the advantages of money transfer again into public consciousness. Despite the progressive digitization – or exactly due to that?

The month-to-month report of the Deutsche Bundesbank in April 2025 not solely lists the benefits and drawbacks of money funds, but additionally refers back to the outcomes of its personal consultant survey from 2023.

There, “39 percent of the respondents for the abolition of fees to ATMs, 37 percent for an obligation to accept cash at the cash register and 35 percent for adequate provision of ATMs”. So needs of minorities. Consequently, a conclusion of the publication is: “Measures for the active support of cash are currently not required”.

Scandinavia: shrill alarm bells

A majority of Europeans welcomes easy and quick card or smartphone funds. In Norway and Sweden, the bulk progressively overlook what banknotes and cash seem like, as a result of they’ve largely disappeared from on a regular basis life. This is strictly the explanation why all alarm bells are shrilling in Scandinavia and talking in lots of areas of Europe’s watchful minorities.

After getting into NATO, Sweden is getting ready for disaster conditions, calculating energy outages or assaults on digital infrastructure. In the worst case, thousands and thousands of individuals with out electrical energy, with out heating, with out communication – and with out digital fee choices. As a change worth, money would then be very important.

Sweden: Initiative of “Above” and from “Below”

For this cause, the Swedish authorities used a particular consultant to keep up money in 2024. It is Dennis Dioukarev, MP of the “Sweden Democrats” get together and a member of the Reichstag parliamentary Finance Committee. When requested by the mdr He explains: “We will suggest that larger grocery stores and licensed pharmacies are imposed on accepting cash as a means of payment.”

The former head of the Swedish police, Björn Eriksson, goes somewhat additional. It leads a motion that calls itself “the bargel blades”. Her purpose is to not solely be capable to pay meals and medicine with money once more, however – due to the lengthy chilly winter months – additionally gasoline and clothes: “At first we were smiled at, we thought we were old -fashioned,” he recollects within the interview with Forgery: “Today awareness grows that we need cash. People who indicate this should be heard in a democracy.”

Netherlands: warning votes from the federal government

Similar to Sweden, warning voices have been heard from different international locations for a number of years, partly from circles of the governments and parliaments. The Dutch Defense Minister, Ruben Brekelmans, had already known as on his compatriots in 2024 to carry as a lot money as a family usually wanted in three to 4 days.

“If payment transactions are quiet for a while that state organizations cannot transfer services such as pension or social assistance, then many people suddenly have a problem.” De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) quotes the previous Dutch finance minister (till 2024), Sigrid Kaag, who want: “… that the banks continue to provide good basic equipment of cash”.

Slovakia: Right to money within the structure

In Slovakia it was not the case with expressions of opinion. As early as 2023, the best to pay with banknotes and cash was anchored within the structure. This is written by the EURACTICTIC.SK web page and quotes a creator of the change in legislation, Miloš Svrček: “It is very important that it is very important […] In the future we can defend ourselves against any outside arrangements that state that there may only be the digital euros and no other payment options. “

Such issues a couple of digital euro could sound exaggerated, particularly because the European Central Bank (ECB) repeatedly assures {that a} future digital euro will solely exist as a complement to the bodily euro.

Germany: decline in money funds

But it may already be noticed right now how money funds are progressively displaced and digital fee choices are as an alternative enforced: in public transport, in authorities, in retail. The Deutsche Bundesbank has documented to what extent money funds have decreased lately. This has been notably clear since 2017. The final time, i.e. on the time of the 2023 survey, 51 p.c of all quantity processes had been paid in Germany. The scenario is exacerbated as a result of ATMs are damaged down and financial institution branches are closed.

The European Central Bank counts yearly what number of ATMs there are. According to this, round twelve p.c of the ATMs have been decreased in Germany since 2016 till the first half of 2024: “The cash payment rate will reduce so that the infrastructure cannot be maintained,” says Hansjörg Stützle, initiator of a petition entitled “Protect bargain in Europe!”, Which at present has round 150,000 signatories.

Not solely right here in Germany, however all over the place in Europe have grown civil actions which might be dedicated to the preservation of money: in Norway, Denmark, Poland, in France (web site in Spanish/English), in Austria and out of doors the euro zone.

Switzerland: Referendum for money

In the nation of the Confederates, a preferred initiative has been heard that calls itself “cash is freedom”. In this manner, it focuses on, which appears necessary to many civil actions: money funds don’t go away any information and thus forestall attainable surveillance by non-public firms or state establishments. It requires the Swiss franc to set the foreign money within the structure and as an alternative of expressly converse of “banknotes and coins” as an alternative of “cash”, that are obligatory.

“If we continue to keep banknotes and coins in Switzerland,” explains Richard Koller, founding father of the favored initiative in an interview with About -minus, “Then it will also mean in Europe and in other countries that the cash cannot simply be stamped, otherwise there will be a fear of money to fly to Switzerland.” The National Council, the primary chamber of the Swiss Parliament, permitted a constitutional change in March 2025, however with out following the catalog of calls for of the favored initiative.

Instead, a textual content design by the Swiss Federal Council was favored, which doesn’t include important calls for of the favored initiative. The complementary textual content within the structure is anticipated to be: “In Switzerland, the supply of cash must be guaranteed, and the state currency is the Swiss franc.” The Council of States, i.e. the second chamber of the parliament, and finally the Swiss folks will vote on each textual content designs within the coming months.