ECB is looking for a new design for euro banknotes: citizens can vote

What should the euro notes look like in the future? The European Central Bank has published drafts and is asking citizens for their opinions. But it's not just about a new design.

At the end of 2021, the ECB initiated a process to redesign the banknotes. In July 2026, ECB President Christine Lagarde presented the design drafts that were shortlisted.

Frankfurt/Main. Leonardo da Vinci or white stork, Beethoven or gannet? The vote on the design of the new euro banknotes is entering the home stretch. Europeans can take part in an online survey by the European Central Bank (ECB) until Monday next week (September 21st).

More than nine million people have already done this, as the central bank in Frankfurt announced. The vote will be taken into account in the final decision of the Governing Council of the ECB, which is due to be made at the end of 2026. It will be a while before the redesigned banknotes are put into circulation.

Famous people or rivers and birds

In a pre-selection of motifs, the ECB defined two topics. There are five suggestions for implementation for each:

“European culture”: Famous Europeans such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie and Leonardo da Vinci are immortalized on the front of the notes. The backs show depictions of street artists or a singing festival.

“Rivers and birds”: The focus in this case is the “resilience and diversity of Europe’s natural ecosystems”. Among other things, kingfishers and white storks are honored. European institutions are depicted on the back of the notes, for example the European Parliament, the European Commission and the ECB.

Counterfeiting of banknotes will become even more difficult

The new euro notes should also contain additional security features to make it even more difficult for criminals to produce counterfeit money. The euro currency watchdogs also want to reduce the environmental impact of production: the notes should last longer. Another aspect: the banknotes should be easier to recognize for people with visual impairments.

The first euro banknotes were issued on January 1, 2002. Since May 2019, the second generation of notes has been complete with new security features. The euro is the common currency of around 358 million people in 21 countries of the European Union.