The project electonic payment systems was performed jointly by the European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) and the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (IPTS) for the European Parliament. The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies received the mandate to carry out a study on the political aspects of new electronic payment systems. In this, the IPTS was supported by a network of European research establishments united in the European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO). ITAS was responsible for the coordination of ESTO activities in this project. The final report contains a series of country-specific analyses on existing payment systems and ongoing or planned initiatives, in particular for electronic money, covering ten European countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The country analyses contain information on payment cultures, national frameworks for banking and financial services, payment cards, electronic purses, Internet payment systems and electronic commerce in each of the ten countries. The report reveals vast national differences and peculiarities which will have great impact on the spread of electronic payment systems and electronic commerce in the individual countries. It also shows that use of electronic money is only at the experimental stage and that traditional national "access products" are finding use on the Internet for domestic transactions. While Internet commerce at the national level is growing impressively, trans-border commerce is only just starting. Here, there will be a demand for a uniform and unambiguous framework, especially with respect to legal aspects. In addition an infrastructure is required enabling interoperability of a broad range of existing and emerging payment methods.

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