The Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU

Description (ECB)

The design depicts a flock of birds (swallows), which is a symbol for the workings of the EU, by moving together as a group yet with each member having room to manoeuvre in an individual manner, thereby creating one complex, dynamic entity. The group therefore primarily stands for togetherness. During the flight of the swallows, there is always one who pulls the head and takes the group in tow, which will be Belgium in the first half of 2024. The 27 birds also symbolise the total number of EU member states. The country code ‘BE’ is located in between the birds, in the upper right side of the design. Underneath the flock of birds, a vacant space on the lower half is filled with the description ‘BELGIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU 2024’. At the far left are the initials of the designer Iris Bruijns. As the Royal Dutch Mint will strike the coins, the mintmark of Utrecht, a mercury staff is also located on the far left, above which stands the Belgian mint director mintmark, an aster flower in front of an Erlenmeyer flask. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European flag.

Source: European Central Bank, €2 commemorative coin pages. Texts quoted as published. ECB 2024

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