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EU to Withdraw 2 Euro Coin
Coin commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo is to be banned
The design for the new €2 coin was submitted to the Council of the European Union by Belgium but they have been asked, and have agreed, to withdraw the design. Any coins that have already been minted will be destroyed before they reach circulation.
This year sees the 200th anniversary of the Bottle of Waterloo where Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the Duke of Wellington. There will be many memorial events through the year with a large re-enactment taking place in Waterloo this June.
Although the coin was designed to commemorate the occasion the French government asked the EU Council for its withdrawal citing that it could cause 'hostile reactions' and that the commemoration could undermine the eurozone.
The Battle of Waterloo took place on 18th June 1815 and it stopped the advance of Napoleon across Europe and sent the French emperor into exile for a final time. The battle was fought near the town of Waterloo in modern-day Belgium.
Many outside of France believe that this is an overreaction on the part of the French government, however under EU legislation any member state whose currency is the euro has the right to raise an objection to a design draft submitted by another country if the draft design is "likely to create adverse reactions among its citizens”. It added: “Member states are herewith informed that France submitted such an objection on 5 March.”
So although celebrations and commemorations for the 55,000 killed, missing or wounded during the battle will go ahead in June, there will not be a coin in existence to mark the 200th anniversary.
