NEW NATIONAL SIDE OF EURO CIRCULATION COINS

(2005/C 61/08)

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: Belgium

Subject of commemoration: Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

Factual description of the design: The effigies of Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and King Albert II of Belgium are depicted in profile in the centre of the design. The profile of King Albert II is slightly superimposed on that of Grand-Duke Henri. Under the effigies appears the year mark ‘2005’. To the lower right there is a combination of the letters ‘LL’, the engraver's initials. The two effigies and the date are surrounded by the twelve stars and by the monograms of Grand-Duke Henri to the left and of King Albert II to the right. The mintmarks each appear between two stars, one on the left and one on the right of the bottom part of the outer circle.

Issue volume: max. 6 million coins

Approximate issue period: March/April 2005

(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).