NEW NATIONAL SIDE OF EURO CIRCULATION COINS

(2005/C 244/04)

Euro circulation coins have legal tender status throughout the euro area. The Commission publishes all new euro coin designs (1) with a view to informing anyone required to handle coins in the course of their work and the public at large. In accordance with the Council conclusions of 8 December 2003 (2), Member States and countries that have concluded a Monetary Agreement with the Community providing for the issuance of euro circulation coins are allowed to issue certain quantities of commemorative euro circulation coins on condition that not more than one new coin design is issued per country per year and that only the EUR 2 denomination is used. These coins have the technical features of normal euro circulation coins, but bear a commemorative design on the obverse national side.

Issuing State: Finland

Subject of commemoration: 60th anniversary of the United Nations and 50th anniversary of Finland's membership of the UN

Factual description of the design: The inner part of the coin depicts a dove of peace formed of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Underneath the dove, along the edge of the lower half of the inner circle, the words Finland — UN appear on the left and the year of mintage on the right. Above the figure, close to the jigsaw puzzle, there is a letter ‘K’, the engraver's initial. The MINT mark ‘M’ appears underneath the representation of the dove of peace. The twelve stars of the European Union are depicted on the outer ring.

Issue volume: 2 million coins

Approximate issue period: October 2005

Edge lettering: YK 1945 — 2005 FN *** (the * stands for a lion's head)

(1)  See OJ C 373 of 28.12.2001, pp. 1-30 for a reference to all national sides that were issued in 2002.

(2)  See conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 8 December 2003 on changes in the design of national sides of euro coins. See also Commission Recommendation of 29 September 2003 on a common practice for changes to the design of national obverse sides of euro circulation coins (OJ L 264 of 15.10.2003, p. 38-39).