Europe To Demolish Windows & Bridges In Banknote Redesigns For ‘Shared Identity’
By Mikelle Leow, 12 Jul 2023
Photo 66631257 © Marian Vejcik | Dreamstime.com
The European Central Bank (ECB) is expecting to burn bridges—and windows—from the designs of its future banknotes in favor of one of seven different themes.
The architectural elements have been a notable fixture since euro paper money was first introduced in 2002. Now, Europe is shifting the focus to a “shared European identity” instead. For that, it is inviting the public to be involved.
From now until the end of August, all eurozone citizens can share their thoughts on the shortlisted concepts through a voluntary survey on the central bank’s website. At the same time, the ECB will also conduct focus group sessions to ensure equal representation across the people of Europa.
The forthcoming banknotes will also be built in with high-tech anti-counterfeiting properties and features that keep their environmental footprint low, notes executive board member Fabio Panetta.
On why Europe is working on new paper currency, Panetta explains: “We are committed to cash and to ensuring that paying with public money is always an option.”
No more window and bridge themes for the new euro banknotes. Photo 22641470 © Scanrail | Dreamstime.com
After settling on a theme, the board will kick off a design competition, and citizens will once again have their say on the resulting artwork.
“After 20 years, it’s time to review the look of our banknotes to make them more relatable to Europeans of all ages and backgrounds,” details Christine Lagarde, president of the ECB.
Themes in consideration
Image generated on Midjourney
Being careful not to introduce concepts associated with individual countries out of respect for all nations, the ECB has selected seven potential themes that portray an interconnectedness within the continent.
Among them are natural subjects like birds, which are “free, resilient, inspiring” and “know nothing of national borders,” shares the group. “Their nests remind us of our own desire to build places and societies that nurture and protect the future. They remind us that we share our continent with all the lifeforms that sustain our common existence,” the ECB elaborates.
Officials are also looking at designs that symbolize European culture and its dynamic creative sectors. Culture “brings people together,” the ECB adds. A similar theme in consideration sees European values being expressed in nature. “Europe is a living place, but also an idea,” the council explains, asserting that its values tie with “our respect for nature and the preservation of the environment.”
There’s also a possibility the new banknotes will spotlight rivers—“the waters of life in Europe,” says the ECB—which transcend borders and “connect us to each other and to nature.” Water bodies are nurturing and symbolize “the ebb and flow of a dynamic, ever-changing continent,” it furthers.
Image generated on Midjourney
Paper money might be deemed by some as items of the past, but Europe sees it as an emblem of the future. Another theme it is mulling celebrates “ideas and innovations that will shape the future of Europe” and tap into “the boundless potential” of every European.
It could feature hands, which “built Europe, its physical infrastructure, its artistic heritage and its achievements,” and continue to “build, weave, heal, teach, connect, and guide us” as a broad community.
The final proposed theme, Our Europe, ourselves, may direct the creation of banknotes that “[evoke] the freedom, values and openness of people in Europe.”
When should we expect the redesign?
The process is still in its early days. The authority’s Governing Council will evaluate the crowd’s opinions before making its decision on the confirmed theme by 2024.
The ECB will only announce when it will produce the new banknotes, and finally have them in circulation, in 2026.
[via Politico, Bloomberg, European Central Bank, images via various sources]