The first euro banknotes were introduced on 1 January 2002. Now, more than 20 years later, we are preparing for a future banknote series. The decision on when to launch the new series will be made at a later stage. Redesigning euro banknotes will be done with the help of the public and experts before the ECB’s Governing Council takes a final decision on the new theme and the designs.
The redesign process
In December 2021 the Eurosystem announced its plans to redesign euro banknotes, which are part of the process for developing new ones. We want to ensure banknotes remain available and accessible and continue to be a secure and efficient means of payment.
We also want the banknotes to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. This is why we are looking at their environmental footprint to identify opportunities to reduce their environmental impact via new products and processes. The process is also an opportunity to make banknotes more inclusive for all Europeans.
The ECB Governing Council will decide on a new theme and new designs. It will take into account opinions voiced by the public in surveys and advice from expert groups.
There are two major milestones in the process:
- selecting a future theme;
- the design phase including the selection of possible motifs and a design contest.
We will continue to involve Europeans and relevant experts. Our aim is to ensure the theme and designs selected are relatable for all Europeans.
Main steps in the redesign process
Listening to Europeans
Between December 2021 and March 2022 we asked people in all the euro area countries plus Bulgaria to tell us their opinions on possible themes for future euro banknotes.
Take a look at what was said in the qualitative study on new themes for euro banknotes.
Consulting the experts
End 2021 we established the Theme Advisory Group, an independent, multidisciplinary, and diverse group of experts from all over the euro area, to give advice on possible new themes for future banknotes. Based on the input collected in the qualitative study, the group proposed a shortlist of themes. The ECB’s Governing Council then carefully considered whether the shortlisted themes are relatable to Europeans and represent European life and values, and decided to add a seventh theme, “European culture”.
“Birds: free, resilient, inspiring” is inspired by one of the earliest pieces of EU legislation on the environment – the “EU Birds Directive” – that protects all 500 of the area’s wild bird species.
“European Culture” is a rich and diverse mosaic of cultural and creative expression, an inheritance from previous generations of Europeans and a legacy for those to come. European culture contributes to the cohesion and welfare of our societies.
“European values mirrored in nature” represents the six values of the European Union (EU) as defined in the Treaty of Lisbon: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. The theme also depicts our connection with and respect for nature and the environment.
“The future is yours” focuses on Europeans and their potential to shape the future of Europe with their ideas and vision. It celebrates each and every European, and their skills and visions, in fields ranging from science and technology to art.
“Hands: together we build Europe” is inspired by the EU motto: “United in diversity” and represents all the people who have created Europe. It will represent the six values of the EU: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights, expressed through images of hands.
“Our Europe, our selves” celebrates the individual and collective lives of the people in Europe based on six actions: being, doing, thinking, loving, communicating and living.
“Rivers: the waters of life in Europe” is inspired by European landscapes and combines the natural wonders of Europe with the broader themes of interconnectedness and sustainability.
In summer 2023 we conducteda public survey to ask Europeans of all ages and backgrounds to express their opinions on the shortlisted themes.
What’s next?
Feedback from the public’s opinions will be submitted to the ECB Governing Council to support their decision on the future theme. We will publish the final decision on the future theme afterwards.
Once the theme has been chosen, work will start on selecting possible motifs and preparing a design contest. When the future designs have been selected, the ECB Governing Council will decide when to produce and issue new euro banknotes. It will still take some years after that for them to be produced and eventually end up in our pockets.