The descriptions on this page have been taken from the Official Journal of the European Union and the European Central Bank website.

• Coins are listed in chronological order, i.e. date of issue
• Where the dates of issue are the same, coins are listed in alphabetical order, by country (English spelling)

Summary (to date)

This summary is for the ‘current year to date’ and will change frequently between now and the end of 2015 as new details emerge.

Date	Country	Commemorating	Mintage
30 January	Germany	25 years of German Unity	30,000,000
30 January	Germany	Bundesländer Series – Paulskirche in Frankfurt	30,000,000
30 January	Spain	UNESCO’s World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites — Cave of Altamira	8,000,000
2 February	France	70 years of peace in Europe	4,000,000
10 February	Latvia	Presidency of the Council of the European Union	2,000,000
18 February	Finland	The 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Jean Sibelius	1,000,000
20 March	Italy	World Expo in Milan in 2015	3,500,000
11 June	Luxembourg	15th anniversary of the accession to the throne of H.R.H. the Grand Duke	1,400,000
25 May	Malta	First flight from Malta	325,000
8 April	San Marino	750 Years since the Birth of Dante Alighieri	100,000
15 April	Portugal	150th Anniversary of the Portuguese Red Cross	520,000
July	Andorra	20th anniversary since Andorra joined the Council of Europe	?
July	Italy	750th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri 1265-2015	3,500,000
15 July	Portugal	500 years of the first contacts with Timor, now independent Portuguese speaking Timor Lorosae	520,000
?	* Belgium	200th Anniversary of Battle of Waterloo – withdrawn	** 175,000
15 September	Belgium	Mons, European Capital of Culture 2015	?
?	Latvia	Protection of the Stork	1,010,000
?	Lithuania	Baltic culture	1,000,000
?	Luxembourg	125th Anniversary of the Nassau-Weilburg Dynasty	?
?	Monaco	800th Anniversary of the Construction of the first Castle on the Rock 1215	105,000
?	Netherlands	Coronation of King Willem Frederik van Oranje-Nassau in 1815	?
September	Malta	Proclamation of the Republic of Malta in 1974	400,000
September	Vatican City	VIII World Meeting of Families to be held in Philadelphia 22-27 September 2015	?
October	Greece	75th Anniversary of the 28 October 1940 (Ohi Day)	750,000
October	Slovakia	200th Anniversary of the Birth of Ľudovít Štúr	?
Oct / Nov	Slovenia	2000th Anniversary of the Founding of Emona-Ljubljana	1,000,000

• *  Belgium withdraws its planned commemorative €2 coin issue
• ** Belgium announced that the 175,000 coins already minted would not now be brought into circulation

French irritation relating to the minting of coins commemorating Waterloo doesn’t seem to have reached the Royal Mint of the UK, where a new £5 coin is about to be released.  There have been hints that these Belgian €2 coins may still be distributed but as collector coins with limited legal tender status only within Belgium – which is sure to generate huge interest (and price premiums) amongst coin collectors worldwide.

It has been alleged by some in mainstream news that the French Government has cancelled plans to issue a proposed €2 commemorative coin which was to mark the 500^th anniversary of the battle of Marignan, in the wake of strong French opposition who made their feelings well known about Belgian plans to issue a commemorative €2 marking the bicentenary anniversary of the battle of Waterloo.

Now, although Switzerland, a land-locked country sandwiched between France and Italy is neither a member of the European Union nor of the Euro-zone, parallels were pointed out between the anniversary of Waterloo and that of the Battle of Marignan, where not only many fatalities occurred but between countries which are now friendly towards other – in the case of Venice, it is now part of the Italian Republic. It is likely that France would have opened itself up to accusations of hypocrisy and a “double standard” had the coin proceeded to production.

Coin Images & Descriptions

Germany

The people in the foreground, who embody a new beginning and the advance towards a better future, are standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of German unity. The rendering of the statement Wir sind ein Volk (‘we are one people’) — a collective expression of will by German citizens – represents the path forwards towards German reunification. The inner part also features the mint mark of the respective mint (‘A’, ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘G’ or ‘J’) as well as the issuing country’s country code ‘D’ and the engraver’s mark (the initials ‘BW’ — Bernd Wendhut). The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The edge design comprise the legend EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT (Unity and Justice and Freedom)

Germany

St Paul’s Church (Paulskirche) is a church with important political symbolism in central Frankfurt am Main in Hesse, Germany. It was started as a Lutheran church in 1789 and by 1849, it had become the seat of the Frankfurt Parliament. The inner part of the coin features the St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt. Below the inscription “HESSEN”; left one of 5 mint marks “A”, “D”, “F”, “G” or “J” and the year of mintage “2015”; right the sign “D”, which identifies Germany and the engraver initials “HH”. On the outer edge 12 five-pointed stars representing the European Union. The edge design comprises the legend “EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT” (Unity and Justice and Freedom)

Spain

The sixth of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites series coin commemorates the Cave of Altamira. It is famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The design depicts in the foreground the bison painting from the Cave of Altamira located in Cantabria. In the upper side of the image, in circular sense and with capital letters, the word ‘ESPAÑA’, at the bottom the year of issuance ‘2015’ and at the right the mint mark.

France

In the coin’s central field is a modern graphic representation of a dove. It is carrying an olive branch, the symbol of peace, whose branches have been replaced by the 12 stars of the European flag. The 28 countries of the European Union are represented by the ISO code for each country. The letters RF (République Française) are at the bottom of the coin. The mint marks are on the left-hand side and the year 2015 on the right. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Latvia

The coin celebrates the 10th anniversarry of the Black Stark Protection Plan in Latvia. Fine milled, with the inscription DIEVS * SVĒTĪ * LATVIJU (GOD BLESS LATVIA).

Finland

At the inner part of the coin is sky with stars, tree tops at the right. The text ‘JEAN SIBELIUS’ and the year of issuance ‘2015’ are placed at the left inner part of the coin. At the right is the indication of the issuing country ‘FI’ and the mint mark. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag

Italy

Of the coin is the composition symbolizing fertility of the earth: in a semi-circle, symbolizing the globe, depicts watered seed waiting to sprout; the Earth is situated image of vine, olive branch and ear of corn grown from the tree trunk; around them – the inscription NUTRIRE IL PIANETA; on the left side are the initials of the artist Maria Grazia Urbani (MGU); right are inscribed monogram of the Italian Republic (RI) and the mint of Rome (R); in the middle of the composition is the logo of the World Exhibition in Milan in 2015 (EXPO MILANO 2015). On the outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag

Luxembourg

The coin depicts their Royal Highnesses Grand Duke Henri and the Grand Duchess. The year of accession ‘2000’, the issuing country ‘Luxembourg’ and the year mark ‘2015’ appear above them. Below them appears the inscription ‘15e anniversaire de l’accession au trône de S.A.R. le Grand-Duc’ (15th anniversary of the accession to the throne of H.R.H. the Grand Duke). The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Malta

The coin commemorates the 100th anniversarry of the first flight from Malta. That first flight was a Short 184 sea-plane and was launched from a Royal Navy ship. The edge design comprises a combination of the number 2 and two Maltese Crosses, repeated six times.

San Marino

Portugal

The design depicts a visual composition based on the well-known cross, symbol of the organisation, replicated several times to represent the expansion of the humanitarian action both in Portugal and abroad. The contour of a hand in the background symbolises the different kinds of help given by the organisation to the people, mostly medical, but also and among others: cooperating, constructing and supporting. At the left side, in semicircle, the inscription ‘CRUZ VERMELHA PORTUGUESA’. At the top, the Coat of Arms and the name of the issuing country ‘PORTUGAL’ and at the bottom the years ‘1865’ and ‘2015’. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Andorra

20th anniversary since Andorra joined the Council of Europe

Italy

The design shows Dante with an open book in his left hand and the Purgatory mountain at the back: detail from the illustration of the Divine Comedy painted by Domenico di Michelino (1417-1491) in the Dome of S. Maria del Fiore in Florence; in the centre, the monogram of the Italian Republic ‘RI’; at the right the inscription ‘R’, identifying the Mint of Rome; below the inscription ‘SP’, initials of Silvia Petrassi and the dates ‘1265 2015’, i.e. the year of the anniversary and that of the coin’s issue respectively; arch shaped, the inscription ‘DANTE ALIGHIERI’. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Portugal

The design depicts a XVI Century ship, representing the arrival of the Portuguese navigators to the island, and a local house thatched roof top, including the typical wood sculptures, permanent memories of myths and legends. The one depicted on the coin represents the history of the first inhabitants, who arrived by boat from other parts of the Asian continent and the importance of the horse to travel around the steep mountains which cover most of the island. At the top right, the year ‘1515’ and the name of the issuing country ‘PORTUGAL’. At the bottom left, the inscription ‘TIMOR’ and the year ‘2015’. At the bottom, the signature of the artist Fernando Fonseca. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Belgium

BBC News – France wins Waterloo coin battle as Belgium drops €2 commemorative coin design (12 March, 2015)

• Belgium has cancelled the issue of a €2 coin commemorating the Battle of Waterloo
• France objected to the design showing the Lion Hill memorial, which marks the 1815 battle near Brussels
• The French government said it contained a “negative symbol” for some Europeans

Belgium

Mons, European Capital of Culture 2015

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Latvia

The edge is fine milled, with the inscription DIEVS * SVĒTĪ * LATVIJU (GOD BLESS LATVIA)

Lithuania

Baltic Culture

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Luxembourg

125th Anniversary of the Nassau-Weilburg Dynasty

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Monaco

800th Anniversary of the Construction of the first Castle on the Rock 1215

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Netherlands

Coronation of King Willem Frederik van Oranje-Nassau in 1815

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Malta

Malta started a series of five 2 euro commemorative coins, all related to the Maltese constitutional history, which includes the following coins: 2011 – First Election of Representatives in 1849, 2012 – 1887 Majority Representation, 2013 – Establishment of Self-Government in 1921, 2014 – Independence from Britain in 1964 and 2015 – Proclamation of the Republic of Malta in 1974

Throughout history, Malta’s location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004. Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement and in 2008 it became part of the eurozone.

Vatican City

Greece

75th Anniversary of the 28 October 1940 (Ohi Day)

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Slovakia

Ľudovít Velislav Štúr was the leader of the Slovak national revival in the 19th century, the author of the Slovak language standard eventually leading to the contemporary Slovak literary language. Štúr was an organizer of the Slovak volunteer campaigns during the 1848 Revolution, he was also politician, poet, journalist, publisher, teacher, philosopher, linguist and member of the Hungarian Parliament.

Slovenia

The central image of the coin is the composition of letters that form the word ‘EMONA’ or ‘AEMONA’ and a stylised design of Emona. At the bottom, in circular sense, the inscription ‘EMONA LJUBLJANA SLOVENIJA 2015’. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

In February 2014 the Bank of Slovenia held a public competition to design occasional coins to be issued in 2015, with anonymous entries. By the competition closing date of 24 March 2014, it had received 69 designs for a commemorative coin for the event Emona – Ljubljana and 39 designs for collector coins commemorating the 500^th anniversary of the first Slovenian printed text.