The campaign says more than 400,000 people have signed its petition calling for cash to remain widely available and accepted across Europe. Its handover comes as EU negotiations address cash payments at public services and unattended points of sale.
On Thursday, 22 October, Hansjörg Stützle and Hakon von Holst delivered their petition for the protection of cash to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance. The signatures filled 18 stackable crates. The two campaigners were received by Lars Oberg, head of the ministry’s “Societal Dialogue” unit, and more than 70 members of the public.
The petition calls for cash to be accepted universally and remain widely available across Europe. Its handover comes during a pivotal phase in EU negotiations. According to the campaign, the Council of the European Union supports allowing public bodies to stop accepting cash, including in local and long-distance public transport and at citizens’ service offices.
Cash could also be excluded from unattended points of sale. The European Parliament and the Council have already agreed on this possibility, the campaign says. Franz-Christoph Zeitler, former Vice-President of the Deutsche Bundesbank and a prominent supporter of the petition, warns that such a move could bring “the tipping point for the gradual disappearance of cash” closer.
The initiative points to self-service checkouts, parking meters, swimming-pool payment machines and public toilets as examples of the growing number of unattended cashless services. Berlin’s public transport operator, BVG, also announced on 15 October that it would end cash acceptance.
Progress and unanswered questions
The campaign sees one success in the ongoing EU negotiations: cashless cafés, pharmacies and shops are expected to have to accept cash again. Under the European Commission’s original draft regulation, a “digital only” model would not have been prohibited from the outset. The campaigners say they have been in close contact with EU politicians and succeeded in bringing several of their demands into the trilogue negotiations.
Stützle and von Holst expressed disappointment that Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil did not attend the handover. They say the ministry repeatedly declined a meeting with officials responsible for the issue. In a letter to Klingbeil, which they presented to Oberg, the campaigners argue that the state should lead by example and accept its own currency: “A state must set an example and accept its own money; otherwise, it is sending an unmistakable message that it no longer wants cash.”
They also ask why card acceptance is to become mandatory while, in their view, no comparable safeguards have been established for cash payments by public bodies. Their questions extend to the planned digital euro: why might it be free to use while banks can continue charging fees for cash withdrawals at ATMs? And why should public institutions be able to refuse cash but not the digital euro? Stützle warns that “regulatory disadvantage compared with other means of payment drives cash out.”
Among the petition’s supporters are singer Julia Neigel, cabaret artist Monika Gruber, author Werner Rügemer, and neuroscientists Manfred Spitzer and Gerald Hüther. In May, the campaign was received at the European Parliament in Strasbourg by Markus Ferber (CSU), Engin Eroglu (Free Voters), Fabio De Masi (BSW) and Sibylle Berg (Die PARTEI).
According to the initiative, around 80,000 of the 405,000 signatures were collected in public spaces. A further 325,000 people signed online and verified their email addresses.
Comment: Cash must remain a practical choice
Digital payments are convenient. But a modern payment system should offer choice, rather than make one method a condition of taking part in everyday life. Cash can be used without a smartphone, bank account, internet connection or working card terminal. It also provides an alternative when digital systems are disrupted.
Public bodies set an important example. When authorities or transport operators stop accepting cash, they help accelerate its withdrawal from daily life. They should instead ensure that people can continue to pay in cash.
A digital euro can expand the range of payment options. It should not, however, become a reason to disadvantage cash or further restrict where it can be used. Protecting cash does not mean resisting digital change. It means ensuring that people can still choose cash in practice.
