ChainCatcher news, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Sarah Knafo from France delivered a speech urging the EU to adopt a "strategic Bitcoin reserve" as part of broader measures to promote financial autonomy and combat inflationary pressures. Knafo is a French local judge and a member of the Court of Auditors, with a background in public service and political consulting.In her parliamentary speech, Knafo cited global examples, including El Salvador's early adoption of Bitcoin, as well as statements from political figures like Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, emphasizing that the wave of institutional acceptance of Bitcoin is on the rise. She asserted that the EU's current financial strategy places member states at a disadvantage in the rapidly evolving monetary landscape and criticized existing regulatory measures as overly stringent.She continued to advocate for the EU's burgeoning Bitcoin mining industry, stating that France's nuclear energy infrastructure could provide a competitive advantage. Knafo also discussed the necessity of adjusting current tax policies, urging lawmakers to "stop taxing cryptocurrency holders" and emphasizing that holders of crypto assets take personal risks to create wealth.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Archive, French Senator Sylvie Vermeillet has proposed to classify Bitcoin and other digital assets as non-productive property in the 2025 budget, similar to real estate and luxury assets, and to tax their unrealized capital gains.French Finance Minister Laurent Saint-Martin supports this initiative, believing that it is unfair to exempt Bitcoin from taxes while taxing physical economic assets.

ChainCatcher news, according to a plan passed by French lawmakers on Tuesday in the National Assembly, if cryptocurrency companies in France have not registered with the country's financial regulatory authority by January 1, 2024, they must seek authorization from the regulators to operate. Previously, the final deadline set by the French Senate was October 2023. Daniel Labaronne, who drafted the new legislation on behalf of the parliamentary finance committee, proposed to extend the deadline to January 1, 2024, to give newcomers more time to apply for authorization, while also providing the Financial Markets Authority with more time to process applications. (source link)