ECB Unveils Shortlist for New Euro Note Designs

The European Central Bank (ECB) has unveiled a shortlist of 10 potential new euro note designs, and is inviting members of the public to give their feedback before September 21. The designs are based on two themes: European culture and rivers and birds.

Over 1,200 design proposals were submitted during an EU-wide design contest for a new series of euro bank notes. The ECB has narrowed it down to these 10 shortlisted designs, which will be put to the public through an online survey.

The chosen design will be announced by the end of the year and the new series of notes will enter circulation in the coming years. This will mark the first complete euro note redesign since 2002, with the ECB citing a desire to 'ensure that cash remains secure' and preserve citizens' access to public money.

Piero Cipollone, an ECB board member, noted that the new bank note designs will use more advanced technology to make counterfeiting more difficult. They should also be more durable than the previous series, and use 'more sustainable materials and production processes'.