Which reality do we want to live in?

Some call my generation system busters.
I prefer to call us Changemakers.

While I usually write about psychological well-being and cultural evolution, there are moments when politics must take the stage, because we cannot truly be changemakers if we do not engage with the systems that shape our lives.

Our generation is the bridge between the old world of cash and the new world of code, and our choices today will define what freedom means in the digital age, and the world my children will live in.

Across Europe, a new idea is rising: the Digital Euro, a currency programmed and issued by the European Central Bank. The promise is bold: faster payments, safer transactions, and less dependence on American giants like Visa and Mastercard. But the questions we must ask as citizens are simple: why? And at what price?

The Digital Euro is not just a new way to pay, it’s a new way to hold our money, directly under central bank control. And while that may sound efficient, it also shifts power from the many to the few: from private hands to political ones, from wallets we own to systems we merely access.

I do not feel comfortable with this and I truly value freedom.

Why a Digital Euro Might Reduce Freedom

A Digital Euro would be a central bank digital currency (CBDC), fully controlled by the European Central Bank (ECB). While convenient, it could reduce freedom in concrete ways:

• Direct access to funds: The ECB could freeze accounts, restrict spending, or impose limits in real time, for example during financial crises or sanctions. Unlike private banks, legal checks may be limited.
• Transaction tracking: Every payment could be recorded centrally, enabling unprecedented surveillance of spending habits, political activity, or personal decisions.
• Programmable money: Digital Euros could be programmed to restrict when or how funds are used, such as limiting purchases or imposing automatic expiration.

Imagine wanting to donate to a political group the government disfavors, or buying a book with controversial ideas, the system could theoretically block it.

I understand the EU’s fear, and I share it, as the world moves through political turmoil. But choosing a path that creates more fear, distrust, and control is not the solution. I believe we can do better.

A More Liberating Option

What if Europe didn’t need to reinvent money, only the way it moves?

Imagine an EU-owned payment network: a European Visa – a public, transparent system built on European values: privacy, choice, and sovereignty.

• Your euros remain safely in your bank.
• Your data stays yours.
• Europe remains independent from U.S. financial infrastructure without surrendering citizen freedom to central control.

How an EU Payment Network Could Preserve Privacy and Sovereignty

Instead of redesigning money itself, Europe could own the rails that move it—a public, EU-controlled payment system—without centralizing account control:

• Accounts stay in your bank: The EU network only handles transfers; your funds remain private.
• Decentralized verification: Privacy-respecting cryptography (like zero-knowledge proofs) verifies transactions without revealing identities or amounts.
• Open standards and transparency: Auditable, open-source code under GDPR ensures sovereignty and citizen control.
• Optional anonymity layers: Users could transact pseudonymously while retaining full functionality.

Outcome: Faster, secure, EU-independent payments without giving central authorities direct control over citizens’ money.

Balancing Centralization and Freedom

Some centralization is necessary for efficiency: a payment system needs a central clearing mechanism to settle transactions and prevent fraud or double-spending.

The key is centralization of process, not control of funds. The ECB or EU can oversee system integrity without controlling individual accounts.

Like a highway, the government builds and maintains it (centralized), but your car is yours, and your journey is private (freedom preserved).

The Changemaker’s Choice

This is not a battle between tradition and innovation. It’s a question of who controls the digital world we’re building. If we are to be Changemakers, not just users, but shapers of systems, we must demand tools that empower, not monitor; technology that liberates, not replaces, human agency.

Europe stands at a crossroads: will we design a future of digital control, or digital freedom?

The answer begins with us.

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