New national side of euro coins intended for circulation

(2016/C 23/06)

Euro coins intended for circulation have legal tender status throughout the euro area. For the purpose of informing the public and all parties who handle the coins, the Commission publishes a description of the designs of all new coins (1). In accordance with the Council conclusions of 10 February 2009 (2), euro-area Member States and countries that have concluded a monetary agreement with the European Union providing for the issuance of euro coins are authorised to issue commemorative euro coins intended for circulation, provided that certain conditions are met, one of these being that only the 2-euro denomination is used. These coins have the same technical characteristics as other 2-euro coins, but their national face features a commemorative design that is highly symbolic in national or European terms.

Issuing country : France

Subject of commemoration : 2016 UEFA European Championship

Description of the design : Held every four years since 1960, the UEFA men’s football European Championship, commonly referred to as ‘the Euro’, will take place in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. Euro 2016, the fifteenth edition of the European Football Championship, is organised by the Union of European Football Associations and brings together the best men’s football teams in Europe.

The winner of the competition receives a small-scale version of the Henri Delaunay Cup, named after the man who invented the competition.

The design of the coin features the Henri Delaunay Cup in the middle of an outline map of France, along with the two marks of the Paris Mint. The letters RF for République Française (French Republic) are to the right of the map of France, and the name of the competition ‘UEFA EURO 2016 France’ is written above it. Below the map, a football stands out in the foreground. All of this is set on a background that features graphical elements representing the competition.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Number of coins to be issued : 10 million coins

Date of issue : January 2016

(1)  See OJ C 373, 28.12.2001, p. 1, for the national faces of all the coins issued in 2002.

(2)  See the conclusions of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 February 2009 and the Commission Recommendation of 19 December 2008 on common guidelines for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation (OJ L 9, 14.1.2009, p. 52).