New Euro notes to be brought in
Banknotes will be harder to counterfeit and harder-wearing - they will start to be introduced next May
NEW Euro banknotes with a fresh design and improved security features are to be launched in the coming years with people having the new 5 euro note in their hands from next May.
Mario Dragi, the head of the European Central Bank said: "The ECB and national central banks of the eurosystem are to introduce a second series of euro banknotes. Called the 'Europa' series, it will include a portrait of Europa - a figure from Greek mythology and the origin of the name of our continent - in the watermark and the hologram."
It is the first update to the notes since the big changeover with the start of the Euro in 2002. The new notes will be introduced in in ascending order, with the 5 euro unveiled in full in January and brought into operation in May. It will be followed by the 10 euro.
They will share common designs and each will feature the portrait of a mythological figure. They will also retain their present colours: 5 euro grey, 10 red, 20 blue, 50 orange, 100 green, 200 yellow and 500 violet.
Initially they will run alongside the older notes, which will gradually be withdrawn from circulation and, eventually, stop being legal tender.
The new notes are designed to be tougher - both to handle and to forge. They contain three new features - the portrait watermark, portrait hologram and emerald number - all designed to be easily recognisable to traders and ordinary citizens.
When the note is tilted the silvery stripe reveals Europa, a window and the note's value. On the 5 euro note colour of the number 5 will change when tilted, going from emerald green to deep blue.
German printers Giesecke & Devrient say the Euro is said to be the safest banknote in the world and the number of counterfeit notes in circulation is not a major problem. The new notes are being introduced before counterfeiters can create accurate copies of the old notes.
