Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) gathered today in Strasbourg, France for plenary meetings are currently debating the use of blockchain technology, with Digital Single Market Commissioner Andrus Ansip saying minutes ago that he was “pleased” to see MEPs on the same page as the EU Commission in its enthusiasm for blockchain potential.
Sandwiched between a session on human rights violations in Chechnya and economic support for remote regions, the debate on blockchain sought to discuss how the EU Commission would provide “legal certainty” for the use of the technology.
Earlier, MEP Dario Tamburrano from Italy urged the European Parliament members to move towards legislation to avoid “losing control” of new technologies, echoing French MEP Christelle Lechavalier’s statement that regulators should give blockchain adequate time to provide evidence and maturity for use across multiple sectors.
Both Italy and France have been making fervent moves towards cryptocurrency, especially in recent months. The former last week became the 27th nation to enter the European Blockchain Partnership, which seeks to foster blockchain cooperation between member nations. France this year axed income tax on cryptocurrency and has a pro-crypto finance minister in the shape of Bruno Le Maire, who maintained that blockchain was “a revolution”.
MEPs from Eastern European nations – themselves keen to establish blockchain hubs in the region – were also vocal in the debate, with Lithuanian centre-right MEP Antanas Guoga asking fellow Parliament members to accept that blockchain is “here to stay”. He warned that laggards would have to “live with” not being able to have “much say” over the technology, pointing out that decentralized systems would be highly resistant to external attempts for control.
Romania’s Cristian-Silviu Busoi cautioned the EU against “rushing prematurely” into regulation or face stifled innovation.
Ansip closed the session, saying that blockchain should not be seen as a “panacea” but stressed that it was an opportunity that “cannot be overlooked”. The assembly is expected to vote tomorrow on 2 October on a non-binding motion which will mandate the Commission to conduct an impact study of a “wider update” of blockchain in the EU.
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