ECB's public vote on euro banknote designs draws mockery online

The European Central Bank has invited roughly 350 million European Union citizens to choose the next visual identity of euro banknotes, outsourcing design decisions to the public for the first time since the common currency entered circulation in 2002. The Frankfurt-based bank is preparing a new series with a focus on sustainability and security. Two official design alternatives are on the table: one featuring European rivers and birds, and another centering on European culture. The rivers-and-birds theme would place a wallcreeper on the €5 note, a kingfisher on the €10, a flock of bee-eaters on the €20, a white stork on the €50, a magpie on the €100 and a northern gannet on the €200. The culture theme would carry portraits of Maria Callas, Beethoven, Marie Curie, Cervantes, Leonardo da Vinci and Bertha von Suttner on the same denominations, respectively. Voting is being conducted through the bank's official website. European users have responded by mocking the survey on social media, sharing their own satirical alternatives. Images referencing migration into Europe, the EU's expansion to 40 member states and 'Brussels' open resources' were among the most circulated jokes. The ECB made limited updates in the second banknote series introduced in 2013 and withdrew the €500 note from circulation. The new series will feature environmentally friendly materials and advanced security features, the bank said.