The redesign process

In December 2021 we announced our plans to redesign euro banknotes, which are part of the process for developing new ones. We want to ensure banknotes remain available and accessible and continue to be a secure and efficient means of payment. 

We also want the banknotes to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. This is why we are looking at their environmental footprint to identify opportunities to reduce their environmental impact via new products and processes. The process is also an opportunity to make banknotes more inclusive for all Europeans.

The Governing Council will decide on a new theme and new designs. It will take into account opinions voiced by the public in surveys and advice from expert groups. Our aim is to ensure the theme and designs selected are relatable for all Europeans.

There are two major milestones in the process:

1. selecting possible future themes;
2. the design phase including the selection of possible motifs and a design contest

On 29 November 2023 the ECB’s Governing Council decided to move to the next phase of the redesign process for euro banknotes with two themes – “European culture” and “Rivers and birds” – and the associated motifs.

Theme: European culture

Europe’s rich cultural heritage and dynamic cultural and creative sectors strengthen the European identity, forging a shared sense of belonging. Culture promotes common values, inclusion and dialogue in Europe and across the globe. It brings people together.

Story behind the motifs: shared cultural spaces

“European culture” celebrates the shared cultural spaces that have shaped European identity over the centuries. The motifs for this theme depict various cultural activities and spaces, as well as iconic European personalities who have contributed to building Europe’s cultural heritage.

Theme: Rivers and birds

Rivers and birds recognise no borders, symbolising freedom and unity amongst Europeans and our connection to nature. Europe boasts a wide variety of rivers and birds that inspire us and remind us of our responsibility to protect the environment.

Story behind the motifs: resilience in diversity

“Rivers and birds” highlights the resilience and diversity of Europe’s natural ecosystems by showcasing different stages of rivers and various bird species, emphasising the importance of nature and environmental protection. The European institutions featured on the banknotes remind us of the fundamental values of the European project that also embraces environmental protection.

As we have now selected motifs to illustrate the two themes for future euro banknotes, a design contest, open to European designers, will be launched in 2025. More information on the requirements for participation will be published on our official channels. Once the Governing Councill has decided on a shortlist of designs, we will consult the public on their preferences. The Governing Council is expected to decide on the future designs in 2026.

Once the designs have been selected, the Governing Council will decide when to produce and issue new euro banknotes. After that, it will still take some years before the first banknotes are produced and eventually end up in our pockets.

Since the start of the redesign process, we have consulted the European public twice. Before the final selection by the Governing Council, we will reach out to the public once more to ask their preferences on a shortlist of possible future designs.

Between December 2021 and March 2022 we asked people in all the euro area countries to tell us their opinions on possible themes for future euro banknotes.

Take a look at the report or the executive summary from the qualitative study on new themes for euro banknotes.

Between July and August 2023, we carried out an online survey asking people to tell us which of the seven shortlisted themes they preferred, to which more than 365,000 Europeans responded. To ensure a representative sample, we also asked an independent research company to conduct a similar multi-country survey in parallel with the online survey.

Read the report and executive summary to find out more about the survey results.

Since the launch of the redesign process, we have asked two independent expert groups to first propose a shortlist of themes and, once they were selected, to come up with possible motifs to best illustrate these themes.

The Theme Advisory Group proposed a shortlist of six themes at the end of 2021. The ECB’s Governing Council then carefully considered whether the shortlisted themes are relatable to Europeans and represent European life and values, and decided to add a seventh theme, “European culture”. Read more about the seven shortlisted themes.

Find out more from the report and executive summary on the work of the Theme Advisory Group.

In 2024, after “European culture” and “Rivers and birds” were selected as possible themes for the future banknotes, an independent expert group, the Motifs Advisory Group, was tasked with proposing possible motifs to illustrate both themes.

At the beginning of 2025 the Governing Council discussed and further developed the set of possible motifs for each theme and decided to launch the design contest with both themes and associated motifs.