New Designs planned for Euro Circulation Coins

[tabbs]

(Edit: I already posted this to the old forum, but in a thread about some Finnish commem. Maybe this is interesting for others too ...)

 

The common sides of the euro and cent circulation coins will be redesigned to reflect last year's enlargement of the European Union. Currently the coins show the 15 member states of the EU as it was before 1-May-2004, with the member states set apart on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins, and together on the €1 and €2 pieces.

 

The new coins will have similar "maps" but with the ten new member states included. What the new designs will look like, and when they will be published, has not been decided yet. Also, there is no fixed deadline for the "switch" - in 2007 some new member states (e.g. Estonia) may join the currency union, but maybe the current euro countries already put the new maps on their coins next year.

 

Here is some more information about last week's European Council decision regarding the common sides:

http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pres...cofin/85089.pdf

 

(By the way, I am not quite sure if the 1, 2 and 5 cent will actually be unaffected. They show Europe along with parts of Africa and Asia but with the EU-15 "highlighted".)

 

The Council also adopted a recommendation of the European Commission regarding the designs of future country specific sides. It affects pieces that currently have no country designation, ie. coins from Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany and Greece. The German "state twoer" to be issued in February, a €2 coin dedicated to the state of Schleswig Holstein, will therefore already include the full country name.

 

Common guidelines for the national sides of euro circulation coins:

http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pres...cofin/85093.pdf

 

Note that these guidelines for the country specific sides are about coins to be issued in the future. So while the Austrian coins currently do have the value on the national side too, the current designs do not have to be modified ...

 

Christian

Edited June 23, 2005 by Stujoe