The EU’s central bank is preparing a digital euro to cut dependence on Visa, Mastercard and Apple Pay. Success hinges on giving consumers an easy-to-use payment system without prompting a flight from bank savings.
  • PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    2·
    13 days ago

    I’m not opposed to this but I don’t understand what this has to do with opposing Trump. Europe could just make their own payment providers. Actually already exists, iDeal/Wero type shit. We could have eliminated dependence on Visa Mastercard and Paypal ages ago given enough political will. In the Netherlands most online purchases have gone through iDeal for ages now. Germany is still licking PayPal boots because we hate nice things.

    But digital cash (which is what this should be called IMO, to be less confusing), can be a fine solution depending on how it’s implemented. Hoping for something like the GNUTaler, that protects buyer anonymity.

    • lebkuchen@feddit.orgEnglish
      2·
      11 days ago

      It would totally make sense to make a law that every payment service must only obey to the laws in the European Union and be sanction proof. If that means that MasterCard or Visa can’t operate on the EU market or need to split off their EU operations, that’s ok

    • Pip@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      21·
      12 days ago

      Well, Trump can turn off MasterCard and Visa for Europeans. So the digital euro helps with that because it is an alternative payment method. But also generally it is good to have a backup for other commercial payment systems that can fail (just like it is good to have some cash as a backup).

      Another benefit is that poor people who cannot get bank accounts can pay digitally with the digital euro.

      And then there’s the convenience. Compared to paypal, credit cards, Wero, the digital euro will be faster, cheaper (no fees) and simpler to use.

  • Tryenjer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    13 days ago

    Good luck, with an EPP majority, a Trumpism-proof EU will never become a reality.

    Don’t forget which group enabled Orbán and still supports Vučić.

      • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        1·
        11 days ago

        The EU gave money uncounted money to Orbán to steal and build propaganda that you can’t imagine, dear.

        The election system was so fucked that he could get a supermajority of seats with the minority of votes, and our other MEPs were begging the EU to sanction Hungary for a decade.

        After Merkel left, they did. But we lost 16 years under this.

        By the way, Merkel just gave an interview to one of the biggest independent media platforms we have, and she was not even denying all this, she was also apologetic towards Orbán.

        • Pip@feddit.orgOPEnglish
          11·
          11 days ago

          Talk about projection, dear. The Hungarians enabled Orban.

          • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            1·
            11 days ago

            I guess you can blame us. I’m not used to any different.

            But now that we’ve thrown Orbán out, we can do all the things ever, right? Everything will just be better in the EU?