The average Greek’s wallet may increasingly resemble an abandoned apartment—empty, dark, and with unpaid bills piling up at the door—but the European Central Bank at least offers us one significant democratic opportunity: to choose what design the euros—which we may not actually have in our pockets—will have.
On Thursday, July 23, the ECB presented the ten designs that have advanced to the final phase of the competition for the new series of euro banknotes and launched a public online consultation. Citizens across Europe can express their preference until September 21, 2026, before the Bank's Board of Directors makes its final decision toward the end of the year.
Simply put, Europeans are being asked to choose between two main issues: the «European Culture» and the «Rivers and Birds». The first features figures who have left their mark on European history, the arts, and the sciences, while the second showcases the continent’s natural environment, combining rivers, landscapes, birds, and European institutions.
In the cultural version of banknotes, one finds the Maria Callas on the five-euro note, the Ludwig van Beethoven on the 10-euro coin, the Marie Curie on the 20-euro coin, the Miguel de Cervantes on the 50-euro note, the Leonardo da Vinci at the Crossroads and the Austrian peace activist Bertha von Suttner on the 200-euro note. The back cover will feature scenes from music, theater, literature, science, and other areas of European creativity.
The alternative proposal is more nature-oriented: halcyons, storks, avocets, seabirds, valleys, river deltas, and seascapes are vying for a spot on the new euro banknotes. In other words, images that could also serve as symbols for the Greek economy: some fly far away, others migrate, and still others desperately search for water.
The selection of the themes was not random. It was preceded by a public survey in 2023, in which approximately 365,000 people from across Europe participated. This was followed by a Europe-wide competition with more than 1,200 submissions from graphic designers, from whom 25 were selected to submit complete proposals. An independent committee of 21 experts narrowed the field down to ten finalists which have now been presented to the public.
ECB President, Christine Lagarde, emphasized that euro banknotes are more than just a means of payment; they are one of the most tangible symbols of a shared European identity. The Bank also maintains that the redesign will allow for the incorporation of more modern security features, greater durability, better environmental performance, and easier use for people with visual impairments.
The new banknotes, however, will not appear in ATMs immediately. Once the final selection is made, years of design, technical testing, and production will follow. The current euro banknotes will remain valid and continue to circulate normally alongside the new series. This is the first complete redesign of the banknotes since their introduction in 2002.
