Belgium's Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem and ECB President Christine Lagarde presented the new Belgian commemorative €2 coin on Monday, in honour of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The coin was presented after the Eurogroup meeting, in the presence of the Eurogroup finance ministers. It emphasises the importance of the Council of the EU and also celebrates 25 years of cooperation within the Economic and Monetary Union.
"With our commemorative coins, we pay tribute to persons or events with a historical impact on our country. And it is precisely for this reason that a coin in honour of the Belgian European Presidency cannot and should not be missing," said Van Peteghem.
"As president, we have the stated ambition to use our historic commitment to European integration and cooperation for a stronger Europe," he added. "The commemorative coin therefore also very emphatically symbolises our European togetherness and conviction to achieve successes."
Helpful and loyal swallows
From 1 January to 30 June, Belgium is holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. As president of the Council, Belgium will lead the European agenda and promote cooperation among Member States.
The aim is to strengthen the EU, with Belgium acting as a neutral mediator to lead the legislative work and seek compromises between Member States.
On the commemorative €2 coin, issued by the Royal Mint of Belgium, the design reflects the natural form of leadership, with the text 'BELGIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU 2024' at the bottom left. In the centre of the coin, 27 swallows, symbolising the 27 Member States, flock around the country designation BE.
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Credit: Nona Herreweg/Minister Van Peteghem's office
Credit: Nona Herreweg/Minister Van Peteghem's office
Credit: Nona Herreweg/Minister Van Peteghem's office
In nature, swallows move together and fly in one group behind the leader. Swallows are "helpful, industrious and loyal," Van Peteghem's office noted.
On the left stands 'IB,' the initials of designer Iris Bruijns. Underneath is the mint master's mark (an Erlenmeyer flask with an aster) and the mint mark of the Royal Dutch Mint (the Staff of Mercury).
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This first €2 commemorative coin of 2024 is offered in Brilliant Uncirculated (never been in circulation) and in Proof quality (historically for checking the dies and archival purposes, but now often created in greater numbers especially for coin collectors).
The Brilliant Uncirculated issue comes in a colourful coin card and, in addition to a series of iconic Belgian buildings, also shows the map of the EU, with Belgium highlighted in gold. The 12 European stars are guided upward by swallows. The other side of the coin shows the map of Belgium and a swallow with a relay baton. As usual, two language versions were also provided for this coin card. The Proof version is packaged in a luxury case.
The mintage of the coin is limited to a maximum of 125,000 and 5,000 pieces respectively. Both versions are also legal tender in all eurozone countries, and have very limited circulation.
