by Piero Cipollone and Valdis Dombrovskis. The ECB plans to prepare for the potential issuance of the digital euro by 2029, assuming the European co-legislators adopt the necessary regulation by 2026. Preparatory steps, including pilot exercises and initial transactions, could begin as early as mid-2027. From barter to coins to banknotes to cards, the payment systems Europeans have relied on have never stopped evolving. Throughout history, innovations have made these systems increasingly sophisticated, efficient and convenient. Today, technology is transforming our...

The EU and Canada reinforced their cooperation and reaffirmed shared interests to boost competitiveness, innovation and economic resilience during the first Digital Partnership Council held today in Montreal, Canada. The Council took place back-to-back with the G7 Industry, Digital and Technology Ministerial meeting, hosted by Canada. Both the EU and Canada have launched strategies to strengthen their competitiveness and digital sovereignty and reiterated the importance of supporting companies, especially small and medium-sized (SMEs), with smart regulations. Co-chaired by Executive Vice-President of...

Blog post | Governments across both advanced and emerging market economies have increasingly rolled out new support for targeted companies and industries over the past decade and a half. Industrial policy, as it’s known, is used for a range of goals, including to boost productivity growth, protect manufacturing jobs, improve self-dependence and the resilience of supply chains, and develop “infant” industries to diversify the economy. In the energy sector, for example, some countries have used industrial policy to reduce dependence...

From 1 December 2025, Europe's glassblowers, potters, cutlers, jewellers and other makers will be able to register their product names under the EU's new geographical indication (GI) scheme for craft and industrial goods. This marks the first time GI protection, long used for food and drink, will cover non-agricultural products, completing the Single Market for GIs. The system will protect iconic goods such as Bohemian glass, Limoges porcelain, Solingen knives and Donegal tweed, whose reputation and quality stem from their...

Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan delivered these remarks at “The SNB and its Watchers 2025” Conference at the Karl Brunner Institute.   Good afternoon. Thank you to the Karl Brunner Institute for inviting me to participate in this important conference. As always, the views I’ll share are mine and not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). It is an honor to join this distinguished panel addressing a topic that is both timely and timeless: the role of...

Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB | BratislavAI Forum on artificial intelligence and education as part of an OECD high-level event to mark the 25th anniversary of "Better Policies for Better Lives", Bratislava   It’s a privilege to speak with you today about artificial intelligence. In 1987 Robert Solow famously remarked that “you can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” The same observation could be made today. We see AI advancing at remarkable speed. Yet its aggregate...