The New Euro Designs Prove Europe Has Forgotten How to Dream
The ECB’s new euro banknote proposals are a masterclass in institutional timidity — generic birds, repeated faces, and inoffensive motifs that manage to represent a continent of Renaissance heritage with all the visual ambition of a corporate diversity stock photo. The selection process itself is a political act, and by choosing safety over boldness, the ECB is telling Europe its identity isn’t worth the risk.