For over twenty years we have had practically identical banknotes in our hands: arches, bridges and imaginary windows designed to symbolically represent Europe without favoring any country. Now, however, the European Central Bank has decided that the time has come to move on. The euro banknote restyling project, officially announced in 2021, comes to life in 2026 and promises to radically change the face of European money.
The goal is not just about aesthetics. The ECB wants to create safer, more sustainable and inclusive banknotes, capable of better representing the contemporary identity of the European Union. Behind the graphic change lies an enormous amount of work involving anti-counterfeiting technologies, new materials and even a reduction in the environmental impact of ticket production.
The two themes chosen by the ECB
After public consultations and discussions with European experts, the Governing Council of the ECB has selected two possible artistic directions. The first is “European Culture”, a theme that aims to tell the shared heritage of the continent through historical figures, art, music and symbolic places of knowledge.
The second proposal is called “Rivers and birds” and focuses on biodiversity, natural landscapes and environmental resilience. An idea designed to underline the relationship between European peoples and the ecosystems that cross national borders.
Among the hypotheses that have circulated in recent months are famous names such as Maria Callas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Cervantes and Bertha von Suttner, although the ECB has specified that no definitive image has yet been approved.
The European competition and the final choice
In July 2025, a large competition dedicated to graphic designers resident in the European Union was opened. Participants must submit their projects by the end of April 2026. An independent jury made up of design, art history and security specialists will select up to ten finalist proposals. Subsequently, a European public consultation will be launched: citizens will be able to express their opinion on the chosen sketches. The final decision on the new banknote design will arrive by the end of 2026, but it will still take a long time to see the new euros in wallets.
Final farewell to the 500 euro banknote
However, one certainty already exists: the new cycle of banknotes will not include the 500 euro denomination. The ECB had already stopped the production of the historic purple banknote in 2019, considering it too often associated with money laundering, tax evasion and illicit trafficking. This does not mean that the old 500 euros will lose value. Banknotes already issued will continue to have unlimited legal tender status and can be used, deposited or exchanged without any expiration.
In the meantime, the classic bridges and windows that accompanied the birth of the euro are slowly preparing to give way to a story that is much more human, cultural and closer to the reality of today’s Europe.
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