NEW NATIONAL SIDE OF EURO CIRCULATION COINS

(2005/C 283/07)

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: Vatican City State

Subject of commemoration: 20th World Youth Day held in Cologne in August 2005

Factual description of the design: The inner part of the coin shows a representation of the Cathedral of Cologne with a comet in the upper part of the design. The words ‘XX GIORNATA MONDIALE DELLA GIOVENTU'’ form a quasi-semicircle along the upper edge of the inner part, interrupted by the tail of the comet and one of the church spires. Twelve stars in a quasi-semicircle appear on the upper part of the outer ring. At the top, within the outer ring, the year of mintage (2005) and the mintmark ‘R’ are inserted between the stars. On the lower part of the outer ring the words ‘CITTA' DEL VATICANO’ form a semicircle.

Issue volume: 100 000 coins

Approximate issue period: December 2005

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

(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).