Until 31 August, you can choose from seven possible themes, for the first time the images on the banknotes will be changed
The European Central Bank he announced a survey to choose the theme with which the euro banknotes will be redesigned. This phase is part of a long process that started in 2021 whereby the ECB initiated a graphic rethinking of the euro, which still has the same illustrations as when it was introduced in 2002. The new banknotes will have new anti-counterfeiting technical features, and will be used new materials that are more ecological than those used today.
Il survey does answer a few questions about seven possible themes for the new illustrations. At this stage there are no images yet, but only suggestions of what the banknotes will be able to represent: birds, rivers, hands and so on. You can participate until 31 August, then a theme will be chosen and a competition will be announced among European designers for the creation of the illustrations, which will be subjected to a survey again and finally officially chosen by the ECB’s Governing Council by 2026.
The themes to choose from are: “European values depicted in nature”; “European culture”; “birds as a symbol of freedom, resilience and inspiration”; “the future is in your hands”; “the rivers: the water of life in Europe”; “hands: together we build Europe”; “our Europe, us”. These are very vague and abstract topics, but both in the survey and in un report possible representations are imagined for the different denominations of the banknotes, for the front and for the back.
The change will only affect banknotes, which are the same in all member states of the single currency. The coins have different sides depending on the issuing country, even if they remain valid throughout the euro area.
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We want you to have a say in what your #FutureBanknotes will look like. Take part in our survey and share your views on the shortlisted themes pic.twitter.com/0kC3is6jkE
— Christine Lagarde (@Lagarde) July 10, 2023
The banknotes currently in circulation were designed in 1996, six years before the single currency even came into force. They feature images of generic gates and bridges, which avoid specific national symbols or landmarks. It was a precise choice, made for the design of a new currency that would be shared by countries with different histories and cultures.
They were designed by Robert Kalina, an Austrian designer who won the European design competition. The design of each banknote changes according to the denomination, in Kalina’s intentions the windows and portals symbolize the spirit of openness and cooperation between European countries, the 12 stars of the European Union represent its harmony, while the bridges are a metaphor of the dialogue between the European peoples, but also between Europe and the rest of the world.
Each bridge symbolizes a certain period of European cultural history: classical antiquity, the Roman period, the Gothic age, the Renaissance, the Baroque age and finally the contemporary one. But the drawings do not represent any truly existing architecture, apart from those in the Netherlands built on inspiration of the banknotes themselves.
Dal 2013 a new series of banknotes dedicated to Europa, a figure from Greek mythology who gave the continent its name, had been gradually introduced. On the banknotes in circulation, the designs are the same as for 1996, but a portrait of Europa taken from a vase kept in the Louvre in Paris had been added in the watermark and silver stripe. The countries that had gradually joined the euro were then added to the maps drawn. In addition, the font of the numbers and some technical characteristics had been changed, to adapt them to the new anti-counterfeiting technologies.
The banknotes of the Europa series currently in circulation (Bank of Italy)
The process of graphic rethinking of the euro is the responsibility of the European Central Bank, which however does not physically deal with the printing of banknotes. The central banks of the individual countries, such as the Bank of Italy for example, physically provide for the issuance and withdrawal.
Former ECB president Mario Draghi signing the new €20 banknote in 2015 (Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)
The process of choosing the new banknote designs parallels the study of an ECB project that is in many ways innovative: a digital currency as an alternative to cash. The digital euro would make it possible to pay virtually anywhere in the countries that adopt the euro, without using traditional circuits, such as credit cards or debit cards which may involve additional costs. You would be using a free app, which would work both online and offline as a kind of digital wallet.
– Read also: Who decides which faces to put on the money?
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2023-07-11 13:47:26
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