ECB consultation closes Monday as culture and nature compete to define the euro’s next public face
Europeans have entered the final weekend to comment on ten proposed designs for the next generation of euro banknotes. The European Central Bank’s online consultation closes at 23:59 CET on Monday, 21 September, offering a choice between two broad visions: notes built around European cultural figures and shared public spaces, or a series following rivers and birds across the continent.
Two stories for one currency
The ECB shortlisted ten proposals in July, five under each theme. They emerged from an EU-wide design competition that attracted 1,241 applications. Twenty-five designers proceeded to the design stage, and a 21-member independent jury selected the finalists from 39 completed proposals.
The “European culture” concept connects each denomination with a named historical figure and a contemporary cultural setting. Maria Callas appears on the proposed €5 note, Ludwig van Beethoven on the €10, Marie Curie Skłodowska on the €20, Miguel de Cervantes on the €50, Leonardo da Vinci on the €100 and peace campaigner Bertha von Suttner on the €200.
The reverse sides would show culture as a living activity rather than a collection of celebrated individuals. The scenes include street performance, choral music, education, libraries, exhibitions and public squares. This approach gives the notes recognisable faces, but it also invites an unavoidable debate about who can represent a continent whose histories and identities are far more numerous than six denominations.
“Rivers and birds” avoids that problem by using shared ecosystems instead of personalities. Its visual journey moves from a mountain spring to the sea. The proposed species include a wallcreeper, kingfisher, bee-eater, white stork, avocet and northern gannet. Buildings of EU institutions appear on the reverse sides, connecting natural landscapes with the institutions responsible for collective European decisions.
The choice is therefore more than a preference between portraits and wildlife. One theme locates European identity in cultural inheritance and public participation. The other presents the continent through movement, ecological interdependence and natural features that cross political borders.
A consultation, not a binding ballot
The survey is open to everyone, regardless of age, nationality or country of residence, and is available in all 24 official EU languages. The ECB says responses are anonymous, directly identifying personal information is not collected, and the system is designed to count each participant’s preference only once.
However, the exercise should not be mistaken for a referendum in which the proposal receiving the largest online vote automatically wins. A separate survey is being conducted among a representative sample of euro-area residents. The ECB Governing Council will consider both sets of public responses alongside the design jury’s conclusions and a technical assessment before making the final decision, expected around the end of 2026.
This structure addresses a familiar weakness of open online consultations: people who choose to participate may not reflect the population as a whole. Combining voluntary responses with representative research gives the ECB a broader view, although the final authority remains with central bank governors rather than the public.
The ten proposals are identified by letters rather than designers’ names. The design jury’s report says anonymity was intended to prevent nationality or professional reputation from influencing the assessment. The jury considered creativity, thematic coherence, public appeal, accessibility and the practical need to distinguish denominations quickly.
Banknotes must work as well as represent
The winning series will face requirements that extend beyond visual appeal. Banknotes must be easy to recognise and authenticate, including by people with visual impairments. They must withstand heavy daily use, incorporate stronger anti-counterfeiting features and reduce their environmental footprint through greater durability and more sustainable materials and production methods.
Those practical concerns are especially important because cash remains a form of public money available without a commercial bank account, smartphone or private payment platform. It supports privacy and can keep transactions possible during power cuts, communications failures or disruptions to digital payment systems. It also remains important to older people, some people with disabilities, households with limited digital access and small businesses.
As earlier reporting on the redesign noted, the notes are among the few European symbols handled directly across age, income and geography. Their design shapes whether the euro feels like an accessible public institution or a remote technical project.
No immediate change at the checkout
A decision this year will not put new banknotes into wallets immediately. The selected concept will require further development, security work and production preparation. The ECB says it will take several years before the new series enters circulation, and no issue date has yet been fixed.
Existing euro notes will retain their value and continue circulating alongside the future series. The consultation is therefore not asking Europeans to surrender their current cash or choose an instant replacement. It is asking what story a shared currency should tell when its first complete redesign since euro banknotes appeared in 2002 eventually reaches the public.
No six images can fully represent Europe. That limitation makes the process more important, not less. The final design will reveal whether the ECB believes a common identity is best expressed through people and culture, nature and movement, or the particular proposal that most convincingly turns one of those ideas into secure, accessible money.
