Commission recommendation of 3 June 2005 on common guidelines for the national sides of euro circulation coins (notified under document number C(2005) 1648)
Date: 2005-06-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Economic and Monetary Union, euro, paper money, technical specification

18.7.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 186/1

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

of 3 June 2005

on common guidelines for the national sides of euro circulation coins

(notified under document number C(2005) 1648)

(Only the Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish texts are
authentic)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(4)

(2005/491/EC)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu-
nity, and in particular Article 211 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

According to Article 106(2) of the Treaty, Member States
may issue coins subject to approval by the European Cen-
tral Bank of the volume of the issue.

The Council has, in accordance with the second sentence
of Article 106(2) of the Treaty, adopted harmonising mea-
sures in this field, by way of Council Regulation (EC)
No 975/98 of 3 May 1998 on denominations and techni-
cal specifications of euro coins intended for circulation (1).

(5)

According to Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC)
No 974/98 of 3 May 1998 on the introduction of the euro
(2), coins denominated in euro and cent and complying
with the denominations and technical specifications
should have the status of legal tender in all ‘participating’
Member States as defined in that Regulation. Since being
brought into circulation on 1 January 2002, these coins
have circulated throughout the whole euro area.

The informal Ecofin Council of Verona agreed in April
1996 that euro coins should have a common European
reverse side and a distinctive national obverse side. The
common designs for the different denominations were
chosen by the Heads of State or Government of the Mem-
in Amsterdam in
ber States at the European Council
December 1997, following a competition organised by the
Commission. The designs on the national sides of the euro
coins are decided by each Member State.

The Council agreed on 8 December 2003 that the mora-
torium on issues of commemorative coins intended for cir-
culation, which was established by the Ecofin Council on
23 November 1998, should be lifted. From 2004 onwards,
and subject to certain limitations, Member States are
allowed, in order to commemorate a specific event or per-
sonality, to issue commemorative euro circulation coins
bearing a national design which is different from the nor-
mal euro circulation coin design in line with the Commis-
sion Recommendation 2003/734/EC of 29 September
2003 on a common practice for changes to the design of
national obverse sides of euro circulation coins (3). More-
over, the Council agreed that a change to the standard
national side is possible if the Head of State depicted on a
coin changes, while the moratorium for changes to the
national sides on other grounds could be reconsidered by
the end of 2008.

(1) OJ L 139, 11.5.1998, p. 6. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC)

No 423/1999 (OJ L 52, 27.2.1999, p. 2).

(2) OJ L 139, 11.5.1998, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC)

No 2596/2000 (OJ L 300, 29.11.2000, p. 2).

(3) OJ L 264, 15.10.2003, p. 38.

L 186/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.7.2005

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

Following the enlargement of the European Union in May
2004, several of the recently acceded Member States have
started to prepare themselves for the adoption of the euro.
The selection of the national sides of their euro coins forms
part of these preparations.

In view of the increasing number of different national sides,
the common guidelines for the selection of the national
sides of both normal circulation coins and commemora-
tive circulation coins put forward in the present Recom-
mendation will strengthen the overall coherence of the
euro coinage system.

Euro coins not only circulate in the country of issue but in
the whole euro area and even beyond. As a consequence,
the proportion of coins in circulation not bearing the
national side is increasing in each of the euro area coun-
tries. In this context, a clear indication of the issuing coun-
try should be put on the national side in order to allow
interested coin users to easily identify the country of origin.

The common European sides of the euro coins bear both
the name of the single currency and the denomination of
the coin. The national side should neither repeat the name
of the single currency nor the denomination of the coin.
The edge lettering of the 2-euro coin can provide an indi-
cation of the denomination provided only the figure ‘2’
and/or the term ‘euro’ are used, in accordance with exist-
ing practices in most Member States.

(10) As the euro coins circulate throughout the euro area their
national design features are to some extent a matter of
common interest. Member States should inform each other
about new national sides prior to the final decision. To this
effect, Member States should forward their new euro coin
designs (including the edge lettering of 2-euro coin) to the
Commission for further distribution. This will be managed
in such a way as to avoid any undue delay.

(11)

(12)

The Member States have been consulted on the guidelines
set out in this Recommendation, in order to take account
of their different national practices and preferences in this
area.

The Community has concluded monetary agreements with
the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of San Marino
and the Vatican City State, allowing them to issue certain
quantities of euro circulation coins. The common guide-
lines should also be applicable to the circulation coins
issued by those States,

HEREBY RECOMMENDS:

Article 1

Identification of the issuing Member State

The national sides of all denominations of the euro circulation
coins should bear an indication of the issuing Member State by
means of the Member State’s name or an abbreviation of it.

Article 2

Absence of the currency name and denomination

(a) The national side should not repeat any indication on the
denomination, or any parts thereof, of the coin neither
should it repeat the name of the single currency or of its sub-
division, unless such indication stems from the use of a dif-
ferent alphabet.

(b) The edge lettering of the 2-euro coin could bear an indica-
tion of the denomination, provided that only the figure ‘2’
and/or the term ‘euro’ are used.

Article 3

Information procedure

Member States should inform each other on the design of new
national sides, including the edge letterings, before they formally
approve these designs. To this effect, new designs should be for-
warded by the issuing Member State to the Commission which
will without delay inform the other Member States via the Eco-
nomic and Financial Committee’s relevant subcommittee, as
appropriate. All relevant information on new national coin
designs will be published in the Official Journal of the European
Union.

Article 4

Scope of the recommended practices

This Recommendation should apply to national sides and edge
letterings of both normal and commemorative euro circulation
coins. It should not apply to the national sides and edge letterings
of both normal and commemorative euro circulation coins which
have been first
this
Recommendation.

issued prior

adoption of

to the

Article 5

Addressees

This Recommendation is addressed to all Member States as
defined in Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 974/98.

Done at Brussels, 3 June 2005.

For the Commission
Joaquín ALMUNIA
Member of the Commission