The Governing Council of the ECB, whose meetings are also attended by Acting Governor Primož Dolenc, today decided to move into the next phase of the digital euro project. This decision follows the successful completion of the preparation phase launched two years ago, which laid the foundations for potentially issuing a digital euro.
The next phase will aim to ensure technical readiness for the potential first issuance of a digital euro. A final decision on whether to issue a digital euro will be taken by the Governing Council once the relevant European legislation has been adopted. If legislation is adopted in the course of 2026, a pilot exercise could start in 2027, and the Eurosystem should be ready for the potential first issuance of the digital euro in 2029.
Details can be found on the ECB website.
For more on the digital euro project, see the Banka Slovenije website and the ECB website.