Hitting the right note: apolitical animals or European heroes for new euro designs?

The EU is using a currency redesign as an opportunity to be less neutral and try some finely balanced identity-building Is Europe best represented by the bold intellect of Marie Curie, the sprawling imagination of Miguel de Cervantes and the intense musical genius of Ludwig van Beethoven? Or by a migrating stork and a bee-eater, swooping across borderless plains and enjoying freedom of movement across European countries? The quest to settle this issue has engaged a surprising number of people...

By Philip Oltermann European culture editor