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European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has presented the final candidate designs for the new generation of euro banknotes, highlighting themes centered on shared European culture and nature, while thanking all teams across the Eurosystem involved in the selection process.
Statement by Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
“Those, as you will see, are 10 very strong proposals, each one offering something very different. One of which, from the 10, will be ultimately selected. So, to begin with, I would like to thank all those who have been involved in this process, whether as jury members, as designers, or just as members of the teams that were involved here at the ECB, but also throughout the whole Eurosystem. So, let me reveal the first five proposed designs based on European culture. Please. So, here they are. And let me just walk you through the theme. We are just fortunate in Europe to have a rich cultural heritage. Culture promotes values, inclusion, promotes dialogue in Europe, and beyond. It also brings people together. And these designs that you see here—and I’m sure you recognize some of those characters up there—these designs proposals encapsulate that culture. It required a choice, as you can imagine. There was plenty of it. On the front, you’ll see major cultural figures from European history. For example, Marie Curie-Skłodowska appears on the 20 euro designs, and of course, Ludwig van Beethoven appears on the 10 euro banknotes. And we now move to the next theme, which is that of rivers and birds. So, why rivers and birds? Well, rivers and birds recognize no borders, symbolize freedom and unity amongst Europeans, and our connection to nature. Europe boasts a wide variety of birds and rivers and they inspire us.”