A new €20 banknote has been unveiled by European Central Bank’s President Mario Draghi at the ECB’s premises in Frankfurt. Redesigned bills will be issued across the eurozone in autumn 2015. It is the third banknote of the Europa series to be launched after the new €10 started circulating in September 2014 and the new €5, which came into circulation in May 2013. “The new design features a transparent hologram or portrait window intended to defeat counterfeiters. It is a ground-breaking technology in printing banknotes,” Mario Draghi commented. The €20 and €50 banknotes represent the highest share in fake euro bills, so the ECB has introduced a number of enhanced security features to prevent forging. According to ECB instructions, the security features include a portrait of Europa in the watermark and hologram, the abbreviation of the ECB is inscribed in 9 languages (it was printed just in 5 languages on previous notes). Interestingly, the image on the hologram comes from the Greek mythology. It depicts Europa, who according to the legend was a Phoenician princess abducted and seduced by Zeus. Her image was borrowed from the antique goblet which is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris. Europa already appears in the €5 and €10 notes which do not have the transparent hologram.
“The euro notes that we use every day are the most tangible symbols of European integration,” Mr. Draghi stated speaking for the eurozone finance ministers. “The introduction of a new banknote serves as a reminder that this integration is an ongoing process,” the policymaker added. The irony is that myths of Ancient Greece are scandalous stories for the most part. The glaring example is the story about abducted princess Europa.
