The new 100 and 200 euro banknotes, which will be issued on May 28 in the eurozone, were presented today by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.
The new banknotes will replace the old banknotes in circulation in the eurozone countries from 2002.
This will complete the renewal of the banknotes that started in 2013 and includes innovations that make them more difficult to counterfeit.
It is estimated that the 100 euro banknotes currently represent 23% of the total value of banknotes in circulation in the euro area, while the 200 euro banknotes represent only 4%.
"It is not a product for the rich, it is an important banknote for our daily lives," said Yves Mers of the ECB's Governing Body during the presentation ceremony.
Like the new 5, 10, 20 and 50 euro banknotes, the two new banknotes contain elements that make them difficult to counterfeit.
The watermark, on their right, depicts Princess Europe. \
The numbers 100 and 200, in emerald green, are accompanied by small symbols of the euro while the banknote changes color depending on the angle at which one looks at it, something that no counterfeit manages to imitate to perfection, according to the ECB.
Every month, 40.000 to 60.000 counterfeit banknotes are seized.
Most are 50 euros as counterfeiters avoid printing higher value banknotes which are checked more systematically by special machines.
The "Europe" series will be completed next spring, since in 2016 it has been decided to stop, at the end of this year, the printing of 500 euro banknotes because they were considered to be used by all kinds of fraudsters.
The decision angered Germany as some saw it as a first step towards abolishing cash.
