-
December French rail strike: Less disruption expected than forecast
High-speed services should not be affected during the Christmas season
-
Act fast to benefit from this financial help to buy an electric bike in France
The government policy is coming to an end in the beginning of 2025
-
See which offences can result in a car being impounded in France
There is also a time limit and set procedure to follow to recover a car
New €50 aims to beat counterfeits
Banknote will make up 45% of all euro notes in circulation and can be checked with 'look, tilt and feel' method
A new €50 note is brought into circulation in Europe today with improved security features to prevent counterfeiting that saw 350,000 €20 and €50 notes seized last year.
The new €50 follows new €5, €10 and €20 notes launched since 2013 and is said to make up 45% of all euro notes circulating in Europe (although just 20% in France, where the €20 is preferred).
Security features on the new note can be checked with the 'look, feel and tilt' method as there is a portrait watermark of the Greek figure Europa and a transparent portrait window, with a hologram of the same image that becomes see-through against light.
The main image, letter and value numeral are all thicker and there are raised lines along the side of the note plus raised print.
Tilting the note also makes the colour of the number 50 change from emerald green to deep blue.
One billion of the 6.5bn notes put into circulation today were printed in the Banque de France printworks at Chamalières, near Clermont-Ferrand. The bank said the euro is one of the least counterfeited currencies in the world, with just 0.003%.
In the UK, the new ‘impossible to counterfeit’ threepenny-bit £1 has just been introduced to combat counterfeiting. 3% of the round £1 coins are fake – possibly 30million coins.
Both the round and the new 12-sided coins are in circulation but the old round coin will be demonetised on October 16 so will no longer be valid in shops, but can still be returned to banks.
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France