For the Canary Islands, the announcement settles a worry. When the draft designs were revealed at the ECB's Frankfurt headquarters on 23 July, the islands and other overseas territories were absent from the map of Europe printed on the notes. The bank has since confirmed to the news agency EFE that this was down to the general map guidelines handed to the designers, and that the islands will be put back in once a final design is chosen and readied for printing.
The ten shortlisted designs split across two themes. The first, "European culture", puts a set of well-known European figures on the notes, among them Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Beethoven and Cervantes. The second, "rivers and birds", is meant to stand for freedom and unity across the continent.
Once the public vote closes in September, a jury will choose a single design, which then goes through further checks before the ECB signs it off. It will be the first time the euro's banknotes have been redesigned since they first entered wallets across the eurozone in 2002.
