The latest proposal aims to extend this benefit to people and businesses in non-euro countries. This will allow all consumers and businesses to fully reap the benefits of the Single Market when they send money, withdraw cash or pay abroad.
All intra-EU cross-border payments in euro outside the euro area will now be priced the same – with small or zero fees - as domestic payments in the local official currency. The Commission is also proposing to bring more transparency and competition to currency conversion services when consumers are buying goods or services in a different currency than their own.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President responsible for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, said: “With this proposal we are granting citizens and businesses in non-euro area countries the same conditions as euro area residents when making cross-border payments in euro.
“All Europeans will be able to transfer money cross-border, in euro, at the same cost as they would pay for a domestic transaction. Today’s proposal will also require full transparency in currency conversion when consumers are paying by card in a country which does not have the same currency as their own.”
Consumers and businesses in the euro area already benefit from very low fees for cross-border payments in euro. Under current rules, there is no difference for euro area residents or businesses if they carry out euro transactions in their own country or with another euro area Member State. The new proposal aims to extend this benefit to people and businesses in non-euro countries whenever they travel or pay abroad, putting an end to the high cost of intra-EU cross-border transactions in euro.
The legislative proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and Council for adoption.