In this first quarter of 2025, the publication of the Commission Work Programme clarified the financial services policy priorities and legislative agenda for the year. In this newsletter, we cover key appointments within the cabinet of EU Finance Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque, the latest updates on the discussion related to the Payment Services Package within the EU Council, the implications of a report by the European Court of Auditors on EU rules on card fees, and the latest developments on the Digital Euro initiative. We also cover the…

On 1 December the new European Commission took office, with Maria Luís Albuquerque, the European Commissioner at the helm for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. The timeline for new Commission initiatives is set to be announced in the 2025 work programme expected on 11 February. Meanwhile, this past quarter saw progress in institutional discussions on the Payment Services Regulation and Digital Euro. The Commission requested information from Visa and Mastercard on the fees it charges acquirers. The Commission also called on Apple to stop geo-blocking…

After the elections and summer break, European policy activity was dominated by the nomination of key positions for the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as the publication of the Draghi report, which will play a crucial role in shaping the economic priorities of the European Union (EU) for the next five years. In this newsletter, we cover the key appointments in the Commission and Parliament, the implications and positive outcomes of the Draghi report for the financial industry, the latest developments regarding the EU’s investigation…

While MEPs were campaigning for re-election and parliamentary deliberations paused since the end of April, Council discussions continued on files relevant to card payments, namely the Payment Services Regulation and the digital euro. In addition, in this newsletter we cover outgoing ECON MEPs and which prominent members have been re-elected, a Commission consultation on AI in finance and the latest with regards to the EU’s probe into Apple Pay. Read the full newsletter as PDF   Nyhetsbrev som PDF (svensk version)

Only one month remains before Members of the European Parliament begin campaigning for the EU elections. Ahead of the final Parliament Plenary in the last week of April, EU legislators have been racing to finalise several key files impacting payments. Work on the Instant Payments regulation and the Cyber Resilience Act has been wrapped up. Discussions continue on the PSR/PSD3 and Digital euro but final agreement will happen under the next mandate. In addition, the Commission published an important study which into the Interchange Fee Regulation. Read newsletter…

As the final full year of this EU institutional mandate draws to a close, with only a few months left before the elections in 2024, EU legislators have managed to complete work on key files of relevance to card payments. Agreements in trilogues were found in NovembeCard Payment Swedens nyhetsbrev Q4 2023_Svensk_SKARPr on the Instant Payments Regulation and the Cyber Resilience Act. Meanwhile, work on the PSR and PSD3, as well as the digital euro, is ongoing with the objective of finalising the Parliament’s position before the elections.…

With the European institutions shut in August, the summer saw few developments on payments policy. Since the September rentrée, there have been a number of appointments in the Parliament on the last key payments files of this Commission’s term. At the same time, various industry stakeholders have now published their positions on the Payment Services legislative package. Prior to the summer break, the Parliament and Council adopted their preliminary negotiating positions for the Cyber Resilience Act. Meanwhile, the digital euro file progresses. The Spanish Presidency of the Council…

The 28th June was a significant day for payments services regulation in the EU. As the Commission races against the clock to publish new legislative proposals to be adopted before the European elections next year, two major packages on Financial data access and payments and on the Single Currency, providing a framework for a Digital euro, were published. On the same day, the Parliament finalised its position on the Instant Payments Regulation, opening the way for final negotiations with the Council. Meanwhile, the European Payments Initiative has reframed…

NEW REPORT RECOMMENDS CHANGES TO PSD2 Valdani, Vicari & Associati (VVA) and the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) published a study on the impact of the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The report will serve as a reference point for the European Commission as it drafts its upcoming changes to the directive, expected to be published on 28 June. The report is advisory and non-binding. The authors find future developments in the market, such as the possible adoption of the digital euro or the uptake of crypto…

Fri konkurrens och konsumentskydd bör prioriteras – även på betalningsområdet Nu inleds det svenska EU-ordförandeskapet. Möjligheterna att som ordförandeland påverka olika beslutsprocesser ska inte överdrivas, men löftena i programförklaringen om att Sverige ska kämpa för fri konkurrens och konsumentskydd får för den skull inte glömmas bort. Dessa principer bör vara vägledande även inom betalningsområdet. I den svenska programförklaringen inför ordförandeskapet lyfts ”resiliens – konkurrenskraft” fram som en viktig prioritering. Med ”resiliens” avses den långsiktiga förmågan hos ett system att hantera förändringar och fortsätta utvecklas. ”EU måste fortsätta att…