New national side of euro coins intended for circulation
(2023/C 204/06)
National side of the new commemorative 2-euro coin intended for circulation and issued by Belgium
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: Belgium
Subject of commemoration: The ‘year of art nouveau’, which takes place during 2023 in Belgium
Description of the design: The design shows a decorative detail from the facade of the ‘Hotel Van Eetvelde’, an iconic town house in Brussels which has been designed by the Belgian art nouveau architect Victor Horta and has been recognized as Unesco World Heritage. The curved, asymmetrical lines of this decorative detail reflect the characteristic nature-inspired style of the art nouveau movement. This detail fills up the bottom half of the piece, leaving a vacant space on the upper half, which is filled with the description ‘ART NOUVEAU’. At the far right are the initials of the designer Iris Bruijns located. As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mintmark of Utrecht, a mercury staff is located on the far left together with the Belgian mint director mintmark, an aster flower in front of an Erlenmeyer flask, the country code BE and the year mark 2023.
The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.
Estimated number of coins to be issued: 155 000
Date of issue: June 2023
(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).