No 2-euro coin to commemorate Waterloo battle

No 2-euro coin to commemorate Waterloo battle

France, with the support of a number of major European countries has expressly rejected the idea of a 2-euro coin created by the royal mint of Belgium on the occasion of the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo, announced the spokesman for the Finance minister on Thursday, confirming information published in the British daily "The Telegraph". Belgium is now considering minting another commemorative 3- or 5-euro coin for example, but unofficially. According to ‘The Telegraph’, the French disapproved of a 2-euro coin which would be legal tender commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo which marked the French defeat against the European coalition and killed 55,000 people in just one day.

With support from other large European countries to France’s opposition, any vote at the European council (ECOFIN - the economy and finance ministers of the member states - Editor's note) or the European council of ministers would have been in favour of the French position, given the respective political and demographic importance of these countries, explained Francis Adyns, spokesman for the Finance minister. Belgium is therefore now looking into an alternative way to mint some sort of commemorative coin to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. By minting 3- or 5-euro coins, Belgium will no longer need the consent of the other members of the European Union, added the spokesman for the Finance minister.

When asked about the issue by Belga agency on his way back from a London commemorative trip, the Waterloo alderman in charge of tourism Yves Vandercruyssen admitted to being surprised to hear about it via press reports, as the various countries involved in the bicentenary celebrations are cooperating perfectly.

The commemorative events for the Battle of Waterloo, which will last 4 days from June 18th, should draw in approximately 200,000 people, organisers believe. The total budget for these commemorations will hover around 5 million euros.

(Source: Belga)



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