The European Central Bank unveils the design of the new euro banknotes.
The European Union is preparing to launch a completely new design for euro banknotes after the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) adopted two main themes for the upcoming design: European culture and European nature. The new design aims to highlight prominent European historical figures alongside natural elements such as rivers and birds. According to the Austrian Press Agency (APA) , the ECB has already selected the figures and symbols that will appear on the new banknotes
For the first time in the history of the euro, well-known European figures will appear on banknotes instead of the currently used symbolic architectural designs. This includes a selection of the most prominent cultural and scientific figures in European history.
According to the announced plan, the five-euro note will feature the image of the famous Greek opera singer Maria Callas, while the ten-euro note will depict the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The twenty-euro note will feature the scientist Marie Curie.
The 50-euro note will feature the image of the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, while the 100-euro note will depict the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. The 200-euro note will bear the image of the Austrian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Berta von Suttner.
In addition to historical figures, the reverse side of the banknotes will feature natural elements representing European rivers and birds. These include a kingfisher near a waterfall on the ten-euro note, a white stork over a river valley on the fifty-euro note, and a gannet over ocean waves on the two-hundred-euro note.
The reverse side of the banknotes will also include images of European institutions such as the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors, in an attempt to link cultural symbols to the institutional character of the European Union.
Before adopting the final design, the European Central Bank conducted a broad public opinion survey involving some 365,000 citizens from the euro area, gathering their views on the proposed designs. Two advisory groups of experts from various euro area countries also participated in preparing the initial proposals.
In the next phase, the European Central Bank will launch an open design competition for graphic designers across the European Union, who can submit their proposals between July 15 and August 18. The best designs will then be presented to the public before a final decision is made.
Despite the announcement of the basic concepts of the new design, the new banknotes will not enter circulation immediately, as the project is expected to take several years to complete before reaching the wallets of citizens in the Eurozone countries.