New national side of euro coins intended for circulation

(2015/C 93/04)

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 issuing of euro coins are allowed to issue commemorative euro coins intended for circulation, provided that certain conditions are met, particularly 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 : Italian Republic

Subject of commemoration : the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri 1265-2015

Description of the design : The design shows Dante with an open book in his left hand and the Purgatory mountain at the back: detail from the illustration of the Divine Comedy painted by Domenico di Michelino (1417-1491) in the Dome of S. Maria del Fiore in Florence; in the centre, the monogram of the Italian Republic ‘RI’; at the right the inscription ‘R’, identifying the Mint of Rome; below the inscription ‘SP’, initials of Silvia Petrassi and the dates ‘1265 2015’, i.e. the year of the anniversary and that of the coin’s issue respectively; arch shaped, the inscription ‘DANTE ALIGHIERI’.

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

Number of coins to be issued : 3,5 million

Date of issue : July 2015

(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).