Seizures of counterfeit euro notes up by almost a quarter in 2023, according to the ECB. In total, some 467,000 false denominations, mainly 20 and 50 euro notes, were withdrawn from circulation last year.
Counterfeits are most often "very bad imitations", notes the ECB which has been raising public awareness for years using the method of "touching, looking, tilting" the note. Work is underway to renew the graphics of future euro banknotes, with the themes "European culture" and "rivers and birds" having been selected.