Euro banknotes bearing the signature of Mr Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), are starting to come into circulation. Production of these banknotes began shortly after Mr Trichet became President on 1 November 2003.

This is in line with Article 1 (2) of ECB Decision ECB/2001/7 on the denominations, specifications, reproduction, exchange and withdrawal of euro banknotes, as last amended by Decision ECB/2003/4, which states that "other elements of the [banknote] designs shall include...the signature of the President of the ECB".

Banknotes with Mr Trichet's signature are issued by the euro area national central banks in the normal way, i.e. to replace unfit banknotes and to meet any increase in demand for specific denominations. They circulate alongside those bearing the signature of his predecessor, Mr Willem F. Duisenberg. Both categories of banknote are equally valid. Neither should be regarded as a collector's item.

[EuroTracer's Comment: Actually, samples of Jean-Cleaude Trichet's signature were taken at the end of the year 2003 and shipped to the printing facilities where the new printing plates were prepared for the production of the new notes to be started early this year. While it is said that the €10-notes of the Austrian printer are ready now, the €50- and €500-notes for the Deutsche Bundesbank are now being printed and the German €10-notes will be ready in October 2004.]

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