The future euro banknotes are taking shape and, this time, it will be European citizens themselves who have the final say. The European Central Bank on Thursday presented the ten finalist designs from which the new denominations will be chosen, due to enter circulation from the end of 2026.
More than 1,200 proposals were examined, but in the end two major themes emerged that are able to tell the story of the continent's identity: European culture and the richness of nature.
On the one hand are the figures who have left their mark on the history of art, music, science and literature. On the other, rivers and birds that cross the continent's borders, symbols of Europe's biodiversity and of the need to protect it.
The ECB opens a public vote to choose the euro's new look
The ten finalist projects were presented by the president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde (source in Italian), who invited Europeans to take part in choosing the euro's new face.
