ECB unveils next-gen euro banknote designs, social media turns selection into meme fest

Not even the European Central Bank (ECB) — or the euro itself — could escape the meme treatment.

On Thursday, the ECB revealed ten possible designs for the next generation of euro banknotes, inviting Europeans to help decide the look of the bloc's future paper money. Within minutes, social media turned what was meant to be an exercise in shared identity into a meme and joke showdown.

Social Media Reacts

Europeans flooded the internet with their own versions of the banknotes, many seemingly generated with the help of AI.

• One edited note featured Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, alongside the tethered plastic-bottle caps that have become an unlikely symbol of EU rule-making.
• Another showed Christine Lagarde, the ECB president, next to a "buy Bitcoin" message.

The official designs themselves were widely mocked. Many users called them "horrible," "disappointing," or said they resembled "PR infographics."

Two Rival Visions: Culture vs. Birds

The shortlisted designs follow months of deliberation by a jury of European designers and experts, who narrowed the field to ten hopefuls — zeroing in on two rival visions for the euro's future look: culture or birds.

That decision quickly seeded Europe's newest political camps, spinning up pro-bird and pro-culture groupings within hours.

• Culture supporters asked "why the birds" — or warned that if culture is not chosen, "we may as well shut it all down." Another backer prayed that the EU's bureaucracy might at least save Europeans from having "lame birds" in their wallets.
• Those siding with the birds seemed more anti-culture than anything, with some commentators admitting they did not recognise all the cultural icons or proposing alternative line-ups — some more historically defensible than others. One argued that opera singer Maria Callas was not "famous enough for this sort of thing."
• A third, more neutral camp reverted to the critique that has dogged the redesign since it began in 2021: why worry about how money looks when households are more concerned about how little it buys?

Next Steps

The debate now moves to a public consultation, where citizens can weigh in with views until September. The ECB's governing body will make the final choice at the end of 2026, with the new designs entering circulation several years later.