The digital euro is not intended as a substitute for existing products, Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz underscored at a joint Bundesbank-Oesterreichische Nationalbank conference where experts and central bankers discussed the usefulness of the digital euro for everyday payments and the financial markets. They also addressed potential challenges associated with its introduction.

Germany’s current account posted a surplus of €29.6 billion in June 2023, up €21.4 billion on the previous month’s level. This was because invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, switched to a surplus, and there was a larger surplus on the goods account. 

France and Germany are at a crossroads. Banque de France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau and Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel have published a common call for three things.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €8.9 billion in May 2023, down €13.4 billion on the previous month’s level. This was because invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income, switched to a deficit. The surplus in the goods account remained virtually unchanged.