New national side of euro circulation coins

(2006/C 33/05)

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.

Member State: Italian Republic

Subject of commemoration: XX Olympic Winter Games — Turin 2006.

Factual description of the design: the foreground shows a skier racing, against a background of stylised graphic elements: the monogram of the Italian Republic ‘RI’ at the top left, below it the letter ‘R’ and an image of Turin's landmark Mole Antonelliana building with the inscription ‘TORINO’ below; the words ‘GIOCHI INVERNALI’ at the top right; to the right of the skier, the year of issue, 2006, written vertically, and the initials of the designer, Maria Carmela Colaneri, MCC. The twelve stars of the European Union encircle the design.

Issue volume: 40 million coins

Approximate issue period: January — February 2006

Edge lettering: 2 *, repeated six times, alternately upright and inverted

(1)  See OJ C 373 of 28.12.2001, p. 1 for a reference to all national sides that have been issued so far.

(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).