A bill that could have effectively placed a ban on proof-of-work-based cryptocurrencies like and was voted against by members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on Monday.

Introduced in 2020 as part of the European Commission’s Digital Finance strategy, the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) bill seeks to tighten regulation around cryptocurrencies by establishing a uniform licensing regime within the EU. It contains 126 articles, as well detailed plans to be implemented by each state.

One version of the bill was being considered for a vote included language that would allow blockchains to be banned that relies on proof-of work. To be eligible for operating, all currency providers need to present a plan detailing their compliance with environmental sustainability standards. However, this method has its downsides. Decentralized blockchains like Bitcoin don’t have a central operator.

After a huge backlash against the draft’s originality, Stefan Berger (a German member of the European Parliament) submitted an updated version that is more compatible with crypto. On Tuesday, he tweeted:

MiCA does not plan to hold an independent discussion about the Proof-of-Work.

The original draft of the bill was put to a vote but was rejected by the majority of parliament members. Patrick Hansen of Unstoppable Finance’s strategy head, said that 32 members of committee voted against the restrictive draft, while only 24 supported it. Accordingly, the moderater version will now be moved to other EU institutions.

Environmental activists have always called to question Bitcoin’s energy consumption. Tesla (NASDAQ:) had to stop supporting Bitcoin payments in May 2021 because of energy concerns.

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