Euro Definition, History, Countries That Use It

Table of Contents

What Are Euro Notes?

Euro notes are the prison cushy inside the kind of paper banknotes that can be used in exchange for pieces and services and products and merchandise inside the eurozone. Euro notes are to be had seven denominations: 5; 10; 20; 50; 100; 200; and 500 euros.

The provision of euro notes is controlled by the use of the Ecu Central Monetary establishment (ECB), and the notes had been first issued in 2002.

Key Takeaways

  • Euro notes are the paper banknotes that represent the euro international cash, which is prison cushy everywhere the eurozone.
  • The ones notes are to be had denominations ranging from €5 to €500, then again in 2016 the ECB took steps to forestall producing new €500 notes to curb financial crime.
  • The original notes issued in 2002 are frequently being modified by the use of a 2d series of notes known as “Europa”.
  • The provision and keep an eye on of the physically euro banknotes are controlled by the use of the Ecu Central Monetary establishment.

Figuring out Euro Notes

There are seven euro-denominated banknotes and eight euro money. The banknotes, with designs described by the use of the ECB as showing “architectural sorts from fairly numerous categories in Europe’s history,” are similar everywhere the euro area, despite the fact that euro money have one side that is country-specific.

All euro notes and money are prison cushy in any country during the eurozone, which at this time represents 19 of the 27 international locations of the EU. All international locations inside the EU excluding Denmark, which has opt-out clauses, are expected to enroll in the euro area in any case.

The micro-states of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican The town moreover use the euro, as part of a right kind affiliation with the Ecu Workforce. Because of this that in recent years, euro notes and money are circulating in international locations with an entire population of 340 million other people. Following international traits, however, the proportion of physically cash in transactions has been declining ceaselessly as debit and credit card usage grows. Cash is still fashionable for smaller transactions then again a lot much less so for better ones.

Exact issuance of notes and money takes place during the Eurosystem, which is the monetary authority of the eurozone—comprising the ECB and the national central banks of the 19 provide eurozone folks. Each national central monetary establishment during the Eurosystem is an authentic issuer of euro notes, and prints (and bears the cost of) a proportion of basic euro notes in flow into. The central monetary establishment that commissioned the printing of a banknote (then again not necessarily the country of printing) is indicated by the use of a letter or country code earlier the serial amount.

All the amount of euro notes to be printed will have to be authorized by the use of the ECB, as part of its mandate to maintain worth stability inside the euro area.


Wallet with euro notes and money.
Stefanie Grewel / Getty Images

Euro Bear in mind Assortment

There are two series of banknotes. The principle series was once issued in 2002 and comprises seven denominations: €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500. The second series, or Europa series, consists of six denominations and was once completed with the issuance of the €100 and €200 on 28 May 2019.

The principle series of notes, is frequently being modified by the use of the Europa series for the reason that Europa notes have enhanced protection and anti-counterfeiting choices. The ones notes additionally are supposed to final for longer as a result of not unusual placed on and tear in-use.

The second series of banknotes is referred to as the Europa series because of two of the security choices contain a portrait of Europa. This decide from Greek mythology was once built-in inside the new euro banknotes because it has an evident link to the continent of Europe and in addition supplies a human touch to the banknotes. The image of Europa was once taken from a vase inside the Louvre in Paris.

All the notes of any series are prison cushy everywhere the euro area.

Eliminating of the 500 Euro Bear in mind

In 2016, the ECB presented that it’s going to prevent minting €500 notes, in a switch that they’re pronouncing is meant to curb fraud and money laundering. The 500 euro understand is the largest denomination in recent years across the not unusual euro international cash zone, and the ECB argued that it is the banknote of variety among criminals.

While the discussed function was once to forestall financial crime, others have speculated that this switch was once part of a up to the moment “struggle” on cash, essentially with the government searching for to eliminate cash and eliminate money from the commercial device.

At the time of ECB’s announcement, the number of 500 euro bills in flow into represented over €300 billion, or on the subject of one-third of all the euro-denominated cash remarkable. Preserving at once to physically cash is precisely what harmful interest rates, as implemented by the use of the ECB and elsewhere, is meant to dis-incentivize. Provide €500 banknotes remains prison cushy and will at all times retain its value.

Specific Problems

Even supposing the euro as a international cash of report was once introduced on January 1, 1999, it existed wholly as an virtual international cash for the main 3 years of its existence. Physically euro notes and money best began circulating inside the euro area or eurozone (those international locations during the Ecu Union (EU) that have adopted the euro as their international cash) on January 1, 2002.

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