€2 commemorative coins are special

euro coins There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euro (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common Obverse and reverse, reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each cou ...

that have been minted and issued by member states of the

eurozone The euro area, commonly called the eurozone (EZ), is a Monetary union, currency union of 20 Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (Euro sign, €) as their primary currency ...

since 2004 as

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that Standard of deferred payment, courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything ...

in all eurozone member states. €2 coins are the only denomination intended for circulation that may be issued as commemorative coins. Only the national

obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...

sides of the commemorative coins differ; the common reverse sides do not. The coins typically commemorate the anniversaries of historical events or current events of special importance. Since 2012, the number of commemorative coins has been limited to two per country per year; previously only one was allowed. Issues of common commemoratives do not count towards the limit. The total number of commemorative coins placed in circulation per year is also limited. The commemorative coins must follow the design standards stipulated for regular €2 coins, with design limitations to guarantee uniformity. Up to the end of 2024, 548 variations of €2 commemorative coins have been issued.

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

and the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

are the only countries to have released at least one commemorative coin every year since 2004. Though they have become

collectible A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

s, €2 commemoratives are different from non-standard denomination commemorative euro coins, which are officially designated as "collector coins", not intended for circulation and usually made of precious metals. European Union commemorative 2 euro coins by number

European Union commemorative 2 euro coins by number

Regulations and restrictions

Commemorative coins shall bear a different national design from that of the regular coins and shall only commemorate subjects of major national or European relevance. Commemorative coins issued collectively by all Member States whose currency is the euro shall only commemorate subjects of the highest European relevance and their design shall be without prejudice to the possible constitutional requirements of these Member States. The 2-euro coin constitutes the most suitable denomination for this purpose, principally on account of the large diameter of the coin and its technical characteristics, which offer adequate protection against counterfeiting. The basis for the euro coins is derived from a European recommendation from 2003, which allowed changing the national obverse sides of euro coins from 1 January 2004 onwards. Regarding them, a series of restrictions apply: * Commemorative coins have a different national face than usual and keep the common face. * They are intended to commemorate some relevant event or personality at a national or European level. * Each State can only issue one commemorative coin per year and always in the format of 2 euros. Since 2013, two commemorative coins per year are allowed. * The joint commemorative issues carried out by all the States of the eurozone (that is to say, excluding the euro-issuing States that do not belong to the EU), are additional to the emissions carried out by each State individually. * In the event that the State Headquarters is vacant or provisionally occupied, that State may issue an additional commemorative coin. * The legend engraved on the edge of the commemorative euro coins intended for circulation must be the same as that on the normal euro coins intended for circulation. * They have limited the maximum volume of emission. The total number of such coins put into circulation per year should not surpass the higher of the following two numbers: * 0.1% of the total number of €2 coins put into circulation by all members of the eurozone. This limit can exceptionally be increased to up to 2.0 per cent if the coin commemorates a very important and noteworthy event; in this case, the member state issuing this higher number of coins should refrain from putting any commemorative coins into circulation for the following four years. * 5.0% of the total number of €2 coins put into circulation by the member state issuing the €2 commemorative coin. Since 2005, the recommendations for the design of the national sides of all the coins have been modified, which has also affected the designs of the €2 commemorative coins of the following years. See

for more information. The different States must inform each other of the new draft designs (both of the "regular" coins and the 2 euro commemorative coins) as well as the European Council and the European Commission, which must give their approval. One consequence of the above was the case of the 2 euro commemorative coin that Belgium planned to issue in 2015 on the 200th anniversary of the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

, which caused complaints from France and Belgium's resignation from issuing such a coin. However, Belgium issued a collector's coin of 2.50 euros, taking advantage of the fact that these coins are not submitted to the prior information of their draft designs. A Dutch law, which requires the portrait of the current head of state of the Netherlands and the words to appear on all coins issued by the Netherlands (for example, currently ) was amended in 2007, so that the Netherlands could take part in the issuing program of the "50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome" common €2 commemorative coin, issued by all eurozone member states; the amendment completely removed the requirement for €2 commemorative coins.

Issues

20 members of the eurozone and four microstates (

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

and the

) have independently issued €2 commemorative coins, with Greece being the first country to do so. The four microstates which also use the euro due to an official agreement with the European Union, do not issue the common €2 commemorative coins, issued by all the other eurozone members to commemorate events of Europe-wide importance, as they are not member states of the European Union. There have also been five common €2 commemorative coins issued by all eurozone member states: * : '' 50 years since the Treaty of Rome'' in 2007. * : '' 10 years of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union'' in 2009. * : '' 10 years of Euro Coins and Banknotes'' in 2012. * : '' 30 years of the Flag of Europe'' in 2015. * : '' 35 years of the Erasmus Programme'' in 2022. Three joint issues: * : '' 50th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty'' (2013) – two coins. * : '' 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall'' (2019) – two coins. * : '' The 100th anniversary of the foundation of the independent Baltic states'' (2018) – three coins. Thirteen coins series with a specific theme: *: '' Croatian Cities'' (2024–future) – coins representing Croatian cities. *: '' Estonian National Symbols'' (2021–future) – coins representing

national symbols of Estonia The national symbols of Estonia are flags, coat of arms, icons or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of Estonia or Culture of Estonia, Estonian culture. Estonian flag The Estonian flag repre ...

. *: ''

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

'' (2021–2024) – one coin per year representing sports at the

. *: '' Bundesländer I'' (2006–2022), '' Bundesländer II'' (2023–2038) – one coin per year for each of the 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany. *: '' Latvian Historical Regions'' (2016–2018) – four coins representing the

Historical Latvian Lands Historical Latvian Lands () or formerly Cultural regions of Latvia () are several areas within Latvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. These are: Kurzeme (Courland), Zemgale (Semigallia), Latgale (Latgalia), Vidzeme, ...

. *: '' Lithuanian Ethnographical Regions'' (2019–future) – one coin per year for each of the five

ethnographic regions of Lithuania Lithuania can be divided into five historical and cultural regions (called ethnographic regions). The exact borders are not fully clear, as the regions are not official political or administrative units. They are delimited by culture, such as ...

. *: '' Luxembourgish Grand-Ducal Dynasty'' (2004–future) – coins representing the

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg The grand ducal family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign grand duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, wh ...

. *: ** '' Maltese constitutional history'' (2011–2015) – one coin per year representing events of the constitutional

history of Malta Malta has been inhabited since 6400 BC initially by Mesolithic hunter gatherers, who were replaced by Early European Farmers, Neolithic farmers from Sicily around 5400 BC. These farmers practiced mixed farming after clearing most of the existin ...

. ** '' Maltese Prehistoric Sites'' (2016–2022) – one coin per year commemorating the

Megalithic Temples of Malta The Megalithic Temples of Malta () are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island country of Malta. They had been claimed ...

and the

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum The Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni ( ) is a Neolithic subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase (3300 – 3000 BC) in Maltese prehistory, located in Paola, Malta. It is often simply referred to as the Hypogeum, literally meaning " undergroun ...

. ** '' From Children in Solidarity'' (2016–2020) – one coin per year about the

solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

, with children's designs. ** '' Maltese Walled Cities'' (2024-future) – one coin per year representing Maltese walled cities. *: '' Spanish UNESCO World Heritage Sites'' (2010–future) – one coin per year commemorating Spain's

UNESCO World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. Issued designs are made public in the ''

Official Journal of the European Union The ''Official Journal of the European Union'' (the ''OJEU'') is the official gazette of record for the European Union (EU). It is published every working day in all of the official languages of the member states of the EU. Only legal acts p ...

Regulations and restrictions

Issues

2004 coinage

2005 coinage

2006 coinage

2007 coinage

2007 commonly issued coin

2008 coinage

2009 coinage

2009 commonly issued coin

2010 coinage

2011 coinage

2012 coinage

2012 commonly issued coin

2013 coinage

2014 coinage

2015 coinage

2015 commonly issued coin

2016 coinage

2017 coinage

2018 coinage

2019 coinage

2020 coinage

2021 coinage

2022 coinage

2022 commonly issued coin

2023 coinage

2024 coinage

2025 coinage

References

External links