Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EC) No 975/98 on denominations and technical specifications of euro coins intended for circulation
Date: 1998-07-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Economic and Monetary Union, euro, issue of securities, money, technical specification

C  296/10

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

24.9.98

II

(Preparatory  Acts)

COMMISSION

Proposal 

for  a  Council  Regulation  (EC)  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  975/98  on

denominations  and  technical  specifications  of  euro  coins  intended  for  circulation

(98/C  296/06)

COM(1998)  492  final  -  98/0270(SYN)

(Submitted  by  the  Commission  on  31  August  1998)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European
Community,  and  in  particular  Article  105a(2)  thereof,

Having  regard  to  the  proposal  from  the  Commission,

Having  regard  to  the  opinion  of  the  European  Central
Bank,

Acting  in  accordance  with  the  procedure  laid  down  in
Article  189c  of  the  Treaty,  in  cooperation  with  the
European  Parliament,

(1)(cid:217)Whereas  Article  1  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No
975/98(cid:216)(˛)  sets  out  the  technical  specifications  of  the
eight  denominations  included  in  the  first  series  of
euro  coins;  whereas  the  mint  directors  have  drawn
up,  on  the  basis  of  that  Regulation,  the  more
detailed  specifications  necessary  for  production;

(2)(cid:217)Whereas 

the  vending 

industry,  having  examined
those  detailed 
requested  an
specifications  has 
increase  of  the  weight  of  the  50  cent  coin  in  order  to
ensure  clearer  differentiation  of  that  coin  and  reduce
risks  of  fraud;  whereas  the  European  Blind  Union,
having  tested  samples  from  the  first  production  runs,
has  complained  about  the  edge  milling  of  the  50  cent
and  10  cent  coins  which  did  not  match  the  milling  of
the  samples  agreed  by  it  during  the  consultation

in  order 

to  ensure 

process  preceding  the  adoption  of  Regulation  (EC)
No  975/98;  whereas, 
the
acceptance  of  the  new  system  by  the  users,  it  seems
desirable  to  accede  to  the  requests  expressed  both  by
the  vending  industry  and  the  European  Blind  Union;
whereas  in  order  to  satisfy  the  vending  industry’s
requirements,  it  is  necessary  to  increase  the  weight  of
the  50  cent  coin  from  7(cid:216)g  to  7,8(cid:216)g;  whereas  in  order
to  satisfy  the  European  Blind  Union’s  requirements
and  avoid  any  risk  of  misinterpretation  in  the  future,
it  is  desirable  to  modify  the  specification  for  the  edge
of  the  50  cent  and  10  cent  coins  from 
"coarse
milling’  to  "shaped  edge  with  fine  scallops’  which
better  reflects  the  shape  of  the  edge  originally  agreed
by  the  European  Blind  Union  for  those  two  coins;

(3)(cid:217)Whereas  it  is  essential  that  the  modifications  of  the
technical  specifications  be  confined  to  the  weight  of
the  50  cent  coin  and  the  edge  of  the  10  cent  and  50
cent  coins 
the
production  timetable  and  the  introduction  of  the
euro  coins  on  1  January  2002,

to  compromise 

in  order  not 

HAS  ADOPTED  THIS  REGULATION:

Article  1

In  Article  1  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  975/98,  the  table  is
amended  as  follows:

1.(cid:218)(cid:217)The  fourth  row  is  amended  as  follows:

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  L  139,  11.5.1998,  p.  6.

"1,88’;

(a)(cid:217)In  the  third  column,  the  figure  "1,69’  is  replaced  by

24.9.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  296/11

(b) In  the  fourth  column,  the  figure  "7’  is  replaced  by

Article  2

"7,8’;

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on  1  January  1999.

(c) In  the  eighth  column,  the  words  "coarse  milled’  are

replaced  by  "shaped  edge  with  fine  scallops’.

2.(cid:218)(cid:217)In  the  sixth  row,  eighth  column,  the  words  "coarse
milled’  are  replaced  by  "shaped  edge  with  fine  scallops’.

This  Regulation  shall  be  binding 
its  entirety  and
directly  applicable  in  all  Member  States,  in  accordance
with  the  Treaty,  subject  to  Article  109k(1)  and  Protocols
11  and  12.

in