All Euro banknotes to change, €500 notes phased out – Maria Callas featured on the new €5 bill

The euro is being reintroduced with redesigned banknotes carrying an adjacent stronger Greek identity. The connection “euro” volition beryllium printed successful Greek connected the caller notes, portion 1 broadside of the caller €5 measure volition diagnostic the representation of Maria Callas – 1 of six emblematic figures of European civilization who near an indelible people connected the continent’s history.

The changes are already underway. After 23 years of the archetypal 2 editions of euro banknotes, the European Central Bank (ECB) is proceeding with their redesign, aiming astatine aesthetic renewal and strengthening the European individuality they represent. Within 2026, last decisions volition beryllium made, and the caller banknotes volition beryllium enactment into circulation.

This play volition besides coincide with large events specified arsenic Bulgaria’s introduction into the Eurozone, requiring the printing of further notes to proviso the country. In total, euro banknotes successful circulation volition surpass the 30 cardinal mark.

Meanwhile, the discreet withdrawal of the now-rare purple €500 bills continues. While inactive ineligible tender, they are seldom seen successful regular transactions. The ECB is besides accelerating preparations for its adjacent large step: the instauration of the integer euro.

The New Banknotes
The connection “euro” volition proceed to look successful 3 scripts: Latin, Greek, and Bulgarian Cyrillic. However, alternatively of the erstwhile “Ages and Styles” taxable of European architecture, 2 caller thematic categories person been selected:

• European Culture: celebrating historical figures who shaped Europe’s corporate identity. Featured portraits include:
  • Maria Callas (€5) – the legendary soprano, dubbed La Divina.
  • Ludwig van Beethoven (€10) – Germany’s towering classical composer.
  • Marie Curie (€20) – physicist and chemist, Nobel laureate, pioneer of radioactivity.
  • Miguel de Cervantes (€50) – Spain’s top novelist, writer of Don Quixote.
  • Leonardo da Vinci (€100) – Renaissance maestro and polymath.
  • Bertha von Suttner (€200) – Austrian novelist, bid activist, archetypal pistillate Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

A quality has already breached retired betwixt France and Poland implicit Marie Curie’s naming. Born Maria Sklodowska successful Warsaw, she aboriginal took her husband’s surname successful France. The ECB’s usage of lone her French sanction has sparked contention successful Poland, though the state is not portion of the eurozone.

• Rivers and Birds: focusing connected Europe’s landscapes and biodiversity. Each banknote volition diagnostic a diagnostic earthy country alongside typical fauna. A Europe-wide plan contention was announced for graphic artists, with finalists to beryllium chosen successful October 2026 and the last determination taken aboriginal that year.

ECB President Christine Lagarde is keen to finalize the process wrong her term, which ends successful autumn 2027.

The Gift of Kohl to Andreas Papandreou
For Greece, the continued beingness of the connection “euro” successful Greek carries peculiar significance. This was decided astatine the December 1995 EU Summit successful Madrid arsenic a “gift” from German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to Greece, on with wishes for the betterment of Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, past hospitalized.

Coin Minting successful Greece and Albania
Greece has minted euro coins since November 1999 astatine the Hellenic Arms Industry’s Epirus Metallurgy Plant successful Kefalovryso, Ioannina, adjacent the Albanian border. The installation produced euro coins and blanks for Greece and different countries but faced challenges during the fiscal crisis. Today, nether ElvalHalcor S.A., it remains a large European supplier.

The Vanished €500 Note
The €500 enactment stopped being issued successful 2016 owed to its usage successful transgression activities, including wealth laundering and taxation evasion. Lightweight and precocious successful value, it remains ineligible tender but scarce successful transactions. On collector markets, it sells for astir €530. Germany inactive has implicit 300 cardinal €500 notes successful circulation, worthy €150 billion.

Digital Euro
The adjacent measurement volition beryllium digital. The ECB aims to present the integer euro betwixt 2027–2029. It volition not regenerate currency but complement it, enabling secure, instant integer payments portion safeguarding privacy. Users volition entree it via a integer wallet from banks oregon nationalist authorities. Offline transactions volition sphere cash-like anonymity.

From Earth to the Moon x10
Today, much than 29 cardinal euro banknotes worthy €1.5 trillion are successful circulation – treble the fig from the euro’s 2002 launch. Lined up extremity to end, they would present agelong the Earth–Moon region 10 times.

Did you know…

• The connection “euro” appears successful Latin (EURO), Greek (ΕΥΡΩ), and Cyrillic (EBPO).
• Greek euro coins began accumulation successful 1999 adjacent the Albanian border.
• €500 notes, discontinued successful 2016, are collector’s items today.
• The integer euro is expected by 2027–2029.