[ECB Official: Digital Euro Will Enhance European Payments Sovereignty; Pilot Program to Launch Next Year] According to Cointelegraph, European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Piero Cipollone stated that the digital euro is expected to help the EU establish an independent and controllable payments infrastructure, reducing reliance on non-European third-party payment service providers. Europe has recognized the risks of over-reliance on external forces in key sectors such as energy and defense, and the same applies to payments. However, payments sovereignty does not mean excluding third parties, but rather giving Europe the autonomy to choose key services. The ECB plans to launch a digital euro pilot program next year, testing it with real transactions. It is currently working with 36 market operators to prepare, while also inviting e-commerce and mobile commerce operators to participate.