ECB confirms Canary Islands will appear on new Euro banknotes

The ECB has confirmed the Canary Islands will be included in the final euro banknote designs after their omission from initial sketches.
The redesign process features ten pre-selected proposals on “European culture” and “rivers and birds” themes.
A public consultation on the designs is open until 21 September 2026.
An independent jury selected the proposals from over 1,200 graphic designers.
The final design decision by the ECB Governing Council is expected by the end of 2026.

The European Central Bank has clarified that the Canary Islands and other outermost regions will be incorporated into the final designs of the new euro banknotes, following public concern over their absence from the shortlisted sketches presented last week . The institution has confirmed that the islands and overseas territories will be added during the next phase of the redesign, once the selection of the final proposal has taken place and its adaptation for conversion into actual banknotes has commenced . The ECB presented ten pre-selected designs in Frankfurt on 23 July, with the proposals inspired by two themes: “European culture” and “rivers and birds” . A public survey, scheduled to run until 21 September, has been launched to gather European citizens’ opinions on the competing designs .

The guidelines provided to the designers were of a general nature and did not specify the representation of overseas territories or European islands, which accounted for their omission from the initial sketches . Christine Lagarde, the ECB president, described the banknotes as “more than a medium of payment” and as “one of the most tangible expressions of Europe” . An independent jury of 21 experts pre-selected the ten proposals from over 1,200 graphic designers who participated in the EU-wide design competition . The ECB intends to publish a report on the survey results and to take a final decision on the new design by the end of 2026 .

The decision has resolved a controversy that had generated particular concern in the Canary Islands, where the omission from the initial mock-ups had caused surprise . The new series of euro banknotes represents the first complete redesign since the currency’s introduction in 2002 . The selected design will undergo a development and testing process before production begins, with the new notes expected to enter circulation in the coming years while existing series maintain their validity .

Christine Lagarde shared: “Banknotes in euros are more than a means of payment; they are one of the most tangible expressions of Europe. Their designs, which combine beauty and meaning, will reinforce our shared identity.”