Opera icons or birds? Europeans invited to pick new euro banknotes

The ECB has shortlisted designs for future euro banknotes around two themes: “European culture: shared cultural spaces” and “Rivers and birds: resilience in diversity.” The culture track includes famous Europeans such as Maria Callas, Beethoven, and Marie Curie, paired with depictions of performances, schools, libraries, museums, and public squares. The rivers-and-birds track shows river stages and bird species like kingfishers and white storks, with European institutions on the reverse. The ECB plans a design contest in 2025 and a public preference step in 2026.