Brussels, 18/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - In the first half of 2014, 331,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation, a 6.2% fall on the previous six months, announced the European Central Bank (ECB) in a press release published on Friday 18 July. It says that the counterfeit notes are a very small proportion of the more than 16 billion genuine euro banknotes in circulation over that period. In terms of where the counterfeit notes were withdrawn from circulation, 98% were in the eurozone and 1.9% in EU member states that have not yet joined the euro. In terms of value, 81% were counterfeit €20 or €50 notes. The ECB announced in the same press release that a €10 note will enter circulation on 23 September 2014. (EL)