Coins of 5, 10 and 20 euro cents are not circulating enough, which is causing a shortage of these coins among traders and banks, Febelfin, Comeos and Unizo said in a joint statement on Thursday. The three organizations call for paying more electronically or settling the exact amount.
Small change is used less and less, especially since the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the crisis in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, raw materials are in short supply, which prevents the authorities from contributing to the resupply of parts.
Febelfin, Unizo and Comeos are therefore calling on merchants to pay as much as possible digitally, including for small amounts.
The three organizations ask consumers who pay in cash to also pay with 5, 10 and 20 cent coins. These coins can also be donated to charity. Consumers who have large volumes of 5, 10 and 20 cent coins can still go to the bank to deposit them, the statement said.
“There are many more coins coming out, and they don’t know how to make new coins at the moment, because there is a lack of raw materials. We risk ending up without coins of 5, 10 and 20 cents” , explains Wim Van Edom, head of economic affairs at Comeos.
A difficult situation for some traders. Some offer round prices.
To put these coins back into circulation, there are different solutions. The banks offer a coin exchange service for banknotes, or machines that transform coins into coupons in some supermarkets.