Europeans Turn Proposed Euro Banknotes into a Meme Contest
The European Central Bank unveiled 10 possible designs for future euro notes. Europeans responded with Ursula von der Leyen, tethered bottle caps, Bitcoin and a new political divide: birds versus Beethoven.
The European Central Bank’s shortlisted designs have given Europeans a choice between culture and nature – and the internet plenty of material for its own banknotes. Photo: European Central Bank
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The European Central Bank wanted to start a conversation about Europe’s shared identity. Instead, the internet turned the exercise into a contest to design the most absurd euro note.
Last week, the ECB unveiled 10 possible designs for the next generation of banknotes. Two themes are under consideration: European culture and rivers and birds. Citizens have until September to express their preferences.
Many did not wait for the official survey. They created their own notes and posted them on social media. One featured a plastic cap firmly tethered to the neck of a bottle. Another showed ECB President Christine Lagarde with the message “Buy Bitcoin”.
The message was not always subtle. Those hoping the new banknotes would convey a stronger sense of European identity instead got European bureaucracy, inflation and cryptocurrencies.
The official proposals soon sparked a minor culture war of their own. One series features figures including Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie, Miguel de Cervantes, Bertha von Suttner and Maria Callas. The other focuses on birds, rivers and landscapes.
And so Europe’s newest political divide emerged: birds versus culture. Some wanted no animals in their wallets, while others had never heard of several of the proposed figures. Maria Callas was even dismissed as not famous enough to appear on a banknote.
The nature designs have one obvious advantage. A bird cannot offend a neighboring country, carry political baggage or be canceled over a problematic remark made in the 19th century. A kingfisher is better-looking than Beethoven. Beethoven, on the other hand, could write beautiful melodies. Both can lend distinction to things that do not always deserve it.
A third group thought both options missed the point. They asked why the ECB was debating what money should look like when many Europeans were more concerned about how little it could still buy. That criticism has accompanied the redesign since it began in 2021.
The ECB, however, presents the project primarily as a practical update, pointing to improved security features, greater durability and better accessibility for people with visual impairments.
The internet prefers to focus on faces, animals and political punchlines.
The ECB Governing Council intends to decide on the final design at the end of 2026. Several more years will then pass before the new banknotes are issued.
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