1999/63/EC: Commission Recommendation of 13 January 1999 concerning collector coins, medals and tokens (notified under number SEC(1999) 24/2)
Date: 1999-01-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU trade mark, European symbol, consumer protection, euro, monetary union

27. 1. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 20/61

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

of 13 January 1999

concerning collector coins, medals and tokens

(notified under number SEC(1999) 24/2)

(1999/63/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 155 thereof,

(1) Whereas the euro will become the currency of the
participating Member States as from 1 January 1999;
whereas during a transitional period lasting from 1
January 1999 until 31 December 2001, the euro will
be introduced as from 1 January 2002; whereas the
euro banknote and coin after their introduction in
2002 will circulate throughout the whole euro area;

(2) Whereas in order to facilitate the transition to the
euro it is necessary to avoid confusion for the citi-
zens; whereas during the three years transitional
period people will not be familiar with the new euro
coins and banknotes and therefore will more easily be
misled or abused; whereas the same level of protec-
tion of the euro should exist in all Member States;

(3) Whereas in order to reduce the risk of confusion
during the transitional period, it is desirable to ban
from the territory of the European Union all collector
coins in euro or medals and tokens which bear the
words ‘euro' or ‘euro cent' or which show a design
which is similar to the design which appears on the
common side of the euro coin;

(4) Whereas in order to achieve it, during the transitional
period, Member States should not issuse any collector
coin in euro and official minting institutions and
private issuers in the Member States should not issue
for the purpose of sale or for commercial purposes,
medals and tokens of
the kind described above;
whereas in order to avoid that medals and tokens of
the kind described above, issued by third countries,
will circulate in the Community territory, the ban
should not only concern the issue but also the sale,
import and distribution for the
production, stock,
for commercial purposes of
purpose of
collector coins and said medals and tokens;

sale or

(5) Whereas the ban on collector coins in euro during
the transitional period has been supported by the
Ecofin Council on 23 November; whereas in some
Member States, legislation on medals and tokens exist

or is being introduced which goes in the direction
recommended herein;

(6) Whereas it would be desirable that third countries
support the efforts made by the European Union to
protect its citizens against confusion and fraud, and
for that purpose avoid issuing collector coins, medals
and tokens of the kind described above in particular
during the transitional period,

HEREBY RECOMMENDS:

Article 1

Definitions

For the purpose of this recommendation, the following
definitions apply:

(a)

(b)

‘collector coins' refer to commemorative and bullion
coins which have legal
tender but which are not
produced with a view to their entry into circulation;

‘medals and tokens' refer to those metallic objects of
circular shape which look like a coin but which are
neither legal means of payment nor legal tender or are
not issued under national or foreign legislative provi-
sions;

(c)

is the lawful currency of

‘euro'
the participating
Member States as defined in Article 2 of Council
Regulation (EC) No 974/98 on the introduction of the
euro;

(d)

‘transitional period'
January 1999 and ending on 31 December 2001.

is the period beginning on 1

Article 2

Recommended practices

The following recommended practices
during the transitional period:

should apply

1. Member States

should not

issue collector coins
denominated in euro. This restriction should equally
apply to collector coins with a dual denomination in
euro and in a national currency unit.

L 20/62

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

27. 1. 1999

2. the sale and the production, issue, stock, import and
distribution for the purpose of sale or for commercial
purposes, of collector coins, medals and tokens which
bear the words ‘euro' or ‘euro cent' or show a design
which is similar to the design which appears on the
common side of the euro coin or which has already
been officially laid down for the minting of such coins
in the future, should not take place.

Article 3

Implementation by Member States

Member States should take as soon as possible all meas-
ures deemed necessary including additional national
legislation,
the
recommended practices during the transitional period.

to ensure the full

implementation of

Article 4

Addressees

This recommendation is addressed to the Member States
and to all economic agents which may issue, produce,
distribute, import or sell medals and tokens.

Done at Brussels, 13 January 1999.

For the Commission

Yves-Thibault DE SILGUY

Member of the Commission