Millions of people across Europe have already voted on the design of future euro banknotes, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB said the number of votes has reached 6 million. The ten proposed designs were unveiled last week by ECB President Christine Lagarde, and voting remains open until 21 September.
The ECB will make a final decision on the new banknote designs at the end of this year. The redesigned notes are expected to enter circulation in the years that follow.
The proposals are based on two themes: European culture and rivers and birds. The subjects that would appear on each denomination have already been selected. Under the European culture theme, composer Ludwig van Beethoven would feature on the €10 banknote. Under the rivers and birds theme, the €10 note would show a kingfisher and a river pool.
Authenticity features
This will be the first complete redesign of euro banknotes since their introduction in 2002. The ECB has previously said the new notes will include updated and improved security features.
More than 1,200 graphic designers submitted applications for the project. From that group, 25 designers were invited to create proposals for one or both themes. A panel of experts then selected ten final designs.
Culture
One of the shortlisted entries comes from Dutch firm Studio Joost Grootens. The Amsterdam-based studio created a design for the European culture theme. “The design can be interpreted as a reflection on how culture comes into being,” the description accompanying the proposal states.
The current euro banknotes feature a gate on the front and a bridge on the back. The bridges shown on the notes did not originally exist but were later recreated in Spijkenisse as the ‘Euro Bridges’.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
