By Susie Violet Ward · Forbes · 17 November 2023
In November 2023, Joana Cotar, a member of the German Bundestag, said she supported recognising bitcoin as legal tender in Germany and planned a “preliminary examination” towards a legal framework. She said this should include legal security for companies and citizens and address risks such as money laundering and tax evasion, “But without stifling innovation and the freedom aspects of bitcoin.”
Cotar had launched a “Bitcoin in the Bundestag” initiative to inform fellow MPs and wanted a formal Bundestag committee that recognised the differences between bitcoin and other crypto assets, saying, “My initiative is bitcoin only.” She opposed a digital euro, warning that it could lead to total monitoring of citizens. Her proposal also envisaged accepting bitcoin for taxes and fees and using bitcoin mining to help stabilise the power grid.