500 euro note expansion of the European Union. Cyprus is not depicted on current notes as the map does not extend far enough east and Malta is also missing as it does not meet the current series' minimum size for depiction. The European Central Bank is currently introducing a new series of Euro-banknotes. The 500 euro denomination, however, will not be included in the new series as it was decided to phase out issuance of 500 euro banknotes. The five hundred euro note measures at × with a purple colour scheme. All bank notes depict bridges and arches/doorways in a different historical European
Euro banknotes a design competition, launched by the Council of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) on 12 February 1996. The winning entry, created by Robert Kalina from the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, was selected on 3 December 1996. The euro banknotes are pure cotton fibre, which improves their durability as well as giving the banknotes a distinctive feel. In the first series, the Azores, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Réunion, and the Canary Islands, overseas territories of the eurozone member states, which also use the euro, are shown under the map in separate boxes. Cyprus and Malta were not shown on the first series