1 000 000 ECU

The ECU (European Currency Unit) was a basket currency — a weighted average of EEC member-state currencies — that existed purely as an accounting unit from 1979 until it was superseded by the euro in 1999. It was never legal tender anywhere, which means any banknote denominated in ECU is, by definition, a fantasy or promotional piece rather than an issued instrument. Notes like this one were produced commercially, often by private printers, to capitalize on European integration enthusiasm during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

No central bank ever authorized ECU banknotes for circulation.