The majority view of the National Cash Forum is that the use of 1 and 2 cent coins, the function of which is to provide an exact amount of change, can be discontinued in the German cash cycle. A rounding rule that leaves the prices of goods unchanged and only rounds the amount charged for the whole purchase up or down to the nearest 5 cents when payment is made in cash would reduce the need for these denominations towards zero.

As 1 and 2 cent coins would then no longer be needed, this would produce positive sustainability effects and can be expected to yield economic benefits that promote the efficiency of cash as a means of payment. The economic and sustainability benefits would come about for a number of reasons, including a significant reduction in production, packaging and transport.

The National Cash Forum is therefore calling upon the Federal Ministry of Finance to advocate for, and press ahead with, a binding statutory rounding rule, ideally one that is applied uniformly across Europe.