General

  1. Who uses the Euro?
    1. Overseas territories
    2. Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City
    3. Montenegro and Kosovo
    4. Andorra
  2. Which countries are getting the Euro and when?
  3. What do all of the abbreviations/acronyms stand for?
  4. What does the Euro symbol look like?
  5. How does everyone in Europe say Euro?
  6. How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?
  7. What is the exchange rate?
  8. What are old currencies worth in Euro?
  9. What is the difference between the EU and the EMU?
  10. Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?
  11. What is ERM I?
  12. What is ERM II?

Euro Coins

  1. Which side of the Euro coin is the reverse and which is the obverse?
  2. Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?
  3. How many Euro coins are there?
  4. Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins?
  5. Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?
    1. The Commission of the European Communities Recommendation of 19 December 2008
      1. Article 2. Identification of the issuing Member State
      2. Article 3. Absence of the currency name and denomination
      3. Article 4. Design of the national sides
      4. Article 5. Changes to the national sides of regular euro coins intended for circulation
      5. Article 6. Issuance of commemorative euro coins intended for circulation
      6. Article 7. Information procedure and publication of future changes
      7. Article 8. Scope of the recommended practices
      8. Article 9. Repealing of previous recommendations
      9. Recommendation Review
  6. What is the appropriate name for the mintmarks on some coins?
  7. Which countries use mintmarks and mint master/privy marks?
  8. Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?
  9. Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?
  10. Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?
  11. What is the difference between a new series and an amended design?
  12. Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?
  13. Are there any commemorative coins?
  14. How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?
  15. What is the Bundesländer Series?

Euro Banknotes

  1. What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?
  2. Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?
  3. Which country produces the most banknotes?
  4. Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?
  5. What kinds of codes are used on Euro banknotes?

  Members of the EMU. Also referred to as the 'Eurozone'.
  EU member states participating in ERMII, who do not have a Euro adoption date.
  EU member states not participating in ERMII.
  Non EMU members using the Euro as its currency.

Who uses the Euro?

The Following countries currently use the Euro as their currency:

    Austria
    Belgium
    Cyprus
    Finland
    France
    Germany
    Greece
    Ireland
    Italy
    Luxembourg
    Malta
    Netherlands
    Portugal
    Spain
    Slovakia
    Slovenia

Overseas territories (inset of map at right) of the above countries also use the Euro as their currencies:

    Azores (Portugal)
    Madeira (Portugal)
    Canary Islands (Spain)
    French Guiana (France)
    Guadeloupe (France)
    Martinique (France)
    Réunion (France)

In addition to these territories, the French Islands of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte are French overseas territorial communities not forming part of the EU which previously used the French franc, now use the Euro by virtue of an agreement with the Union.

Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City

Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are permitted to use and issue their own Euro coins even though they are not members of the EU. Prior to the Euro, Monaco had their own currency, minted in France. When France began using the Euro, Monaco was permitted to issue their own sets of Euro coins. The same arrangements were made between Italy and San Marino and Vatican City. This special circumstance came after negotiations with the European Central Bank and those governments.

Montenegro and Kosovo

Montenegro and Kosovo used the German mark as their currency prior to the Euro changeover in 2002. The Euro is therefore the de facto currency. They use the Euro as their currency, but do not issue their own coins.

Andorra

The Principality of Andorra never had an official currency and used the Spanish peseta and the French franc prior to the replacement of both by the Euro. Andorra has been granted permission to use the Euro as its currency effective 11 May 2004. This agreement is in conjunction with the process of negotiating their own issuance of Euro coins with the ECB, similar to the agreement between the ECB and San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco.

Who uses the Euro? Back to Top

Which countries are getting the Euro and when?

Of the 11 EU member states not currently using the Euro;

3 are participants in ERMII and have a targeted date for Euro adoption:

    Estonia- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)
    Lithuania- January 2010 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)
    Latvia- not before 2013 (Design chosen- SEE HERE)

6 are non-participants in ERMII but are required to adopt the Euro and have a loose timeframe for Euro adoption:

    Poland- January 2011
    Bulgaria- January 2012
    Czech Republic- January 2012
    Sweden- not before 2012
    Hungary- January 2013
    Romania- not before 2014

2 have a derogation to adopt the Euro (SEE Why doesn't the UK Sweden and Denmark use the Euro? for more information):

    Denmark- awaiting majority results in favor of adoption in future referendum
    United Kingdom- awaiting '5 economic tests' results and majority result in favor of adoption in future referendum

Which countries are getting the Euro and when? Back to Top

What do all of the abbreviations/acronyms stand for?

Acronym definitions
Acronym Definition
EU European Union
EMU Economic Monetary Union
ECB European Central Bank
NCB National Central Bank
ERM Exchange Rate Mechanism
ECOFIN Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union
ECU European Currency Unit
ESCB European System of Central Banks
EMI European Monetary Institute
EMS European Monetary System
What do all of the abbreviations/acronyms stand for? Back to Top

What does the Euro symbol look like?

The Euro symbol was designed by Alain Billiet of Belgium.

What does the Euro symbol look like? Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe say Euro?

Every language has its own interpretation of the word 'Euro'. Most languages have different inflections, many pronounce it the same almost everywhere. The simplicity and familiarity with the word Europe across all languages is the only reason the single European currency is called 'Euro'.

How does everyone in Europe say Euro? Back to Top

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Spelling of the words "Euro" and "cent"
in official community languages
as used in community legislative acts
Language Countries Expressed as an amount With definite article
one unit several units singular plural
Bulgarian (BG) Bulgaria 1 евро
1 цент
100 евро
2 цента; 100 центов
евро
цент
евро
цент
Danish (DA) Denmark 1 Euro
1 Cent
100 Euro
100 Cent
euroen
centen
euroene
centene
Dutch (NL) Netherlands, Belgium 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
de Euro
de cent
de Euro’s
de centen
German (DE) Germany, Austria, Belgium 1 Euro
1 Cent
100 Euro
100 Cent
der Euro
der Cent
die Euro
die Cent
Greek (EL) Greece, Cyprus 1 ευρώ
1 λεπτό
100 ευρώ
100 λεπτά
το ευρώ
το λεπτό
τα ευρώ
τα λεπτά
English (EN) Ireland 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euro1
100 cent1
the Euro
the cent
the euro1
the cent1
Estonian (ET) Estonia 1 euro
1 cent
100 eurot
100 senti
euro
sent
eurod
sendid
Finnish (FI) Finland 1 Euro
1 sentti
100 euroa2
100 senttiä2
Euro
sentti
eurot
sentit
French (FR) France, Belgium, Luxembourg 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
l'euro
le cent
les euros
les cents
Italian (IT) Italy 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
l’Euro
il cent
gli Euro
i cent
Latvian (LV) Latvia 1 eiro
1 cents
100 eiro
100 centi
eiro
cent
eiro
centi
Lithuanian (LT) Lithuania 1 euras
1 cent
100 eurų
100 centų
euras
centas
eurai
centai
Portuguese (PT) Portugal 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
o Euro
o cent
os euros
os cents
Slovenian (SL) Slovenia 1 evro
1 cent
2 evra; 3, 4 evri; 5-100 evrov
2 centa; 3,4 centi; 5-100 centov
evro
cent
evri
centi
Slovak (SK) Slovakia 1 euro3
1 cent
100 eur3
100 centov
Euro
cent
eurá3
centy3
Spanish (ES) Spain 1 Euro
1 cent
100 euros
100 cents
el Euro
el cent
los euros
los cents
Swedish (SV) Sweden, Finland 1 Euro
1 cent
100 Euro
100 cent
euron4
centen
eurorna4
centen

The official abbreviation, according to ISO 4217, for "Euro" is "EUR" in all languages.

There is no official abbreviation for "cent", but one could reflect on using either "c" or "ct".

  1. This spelling without an "s" may be seen as departing from usual English practice for currencies.
  2. The form used is the singular partitive form.
  3. Thanks to 'Morpheus', in Slovakia, for a correction to the Slovak spellings.
  4. Used for references to "the currency" or coins.
How does everyone in Europe spell Euro? Back to Top

What is the exchange rate?

Currency exchange rate table in real-time (to within 20 min.) from gocurrency.com:

Currency Converter

Currency abbreviations included in the chart above
EUR USD GBP JPY CAD AUD BGN CZK HUF PLN SEK CHF ISK
Euro US dollar British pound Japanese yen Canadian dollar Australian dollar Bulgarian lev Czech koruna Hungarian forint Polish złoty Swedish krona Swiss franc Icelandic krona

Yahoo! Finance has some excellent tools to aid in determining the present exchange rates against world currencies.

What is the exchange rate? Back to Top

What are old currencies worth in Euro?

Exchange and Rate Mechanism frozen exchange rates between EMU member currencies and the Euro
  Exchange Rate Currency Name
Currency Abbreviation Country
Date of Rate Establishment
1 EUR =
13.7603 Austrian schilling ATS Austria 31 December 1998
40.3399 Belgian franc BEF Belgium 31 December 1998
746.038 Danish krone3 DKK Denmark 31 December 1998
1.95583 Deutsche mark DEM Germany 31 December 1998
5.94573 Finnish mark FIM Finland 31 December 1998
6.55957 French franc FRF France 31 December 1998
Monégasque franc MCF Monaco
.787564 Irish pound IEP Ireland 31 December 1998
1936.27 Italian lira ITL Italy 31 December 1998
Sammarinese lira SML San Marino
Vatican lira VAL Vatican City
40.3399 Luxembourg franc LUF Luxembourg 31 December 1998
2.20371 Dutch guilder NLG Netherlands 31 December 1998
200.482 Portuguese escudo PTE Portugal 31 December 1998
166.386 Spanish peseta ESP Spain 31 December 1998
340.750 Greek drachma GRD Greece 19 June 2000
15.6466 Estonian kroon3 EEK Estonia 27 June 2004
3.45280 Lithuanian lita3 LTL Lithuania 27 June 2004
239.640 Slovenian tolar SIT Slovenia 27 June 2004
.585274 Cypriot pound CYP Cyprus 29 April 2005
.702804 Latvian lat3 LVL Latvia 29 April 2005
.429300 Maltese lira MTL Malta 29 April 2005
30.12601 2 Slovak koruna SKK Slovakia 25 November 2005

  1. Before 17 March 2007, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 38.4550 SKK.
  2. Before 8 July 2008, the exchange rate was 1 EUR = 35.4424 SKK.
  3. Euro adoption has not yet taken place for Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
What are old currencies worth in Euro? Back to Top

What is the difference between the EU and the EMU?

The EU is the European Union. As of 1 January 2007, there are 27 members of the European union.

Growth of the European Union since the Treaty of Rome, 1957
Member State Totals: Year of entry into the EU
1957 1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007
             
Belgium Denmark Greece Portugal Austria Cyprus Bulgaria
France United Kingdom   Spain Finland Czech Republic Romania
Germany Ireland     Sweden Estonia  
Italy         Hungary  
Luxembourg         Latvia  
The Netherlands         Lithuania  
          Malta  
          Poland  
          Slovakia  
          Slovenia  
             
6 9 10 12 15 25 27

The EMU is the 'European Monetary Union', also known as the 'Euro Zone' and 'Euro Area'. This is a collection of EU Member States and three non-EU countries who use the euro as a single currency. Of the 27 current members of the EU, 16 of them use the euro as their currency, and thus are collectively referred to as the EMU.

A country can not issue a Euro unless it is part of the EU. The only exceptions to this are Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are in negotiations to form a similar relationship with the European Central Bank.

A country can be in the EU and not use the Euro. Any country coming into the EU must take part in the ERM. Only the UK, and Denmark have a derogation privilege. Sweden does not have a derogation agreement and must adopt the Euro as its currency at some point in the future.

A country can be outside the EU and still use the Euro as their official currency. Most notably are the countries of Andorra, Kosovo and Montenegro. Of these, only Andorra has an official agreement with the ECB to use the Euro as their official currency.

What is the difference between the EU and the EMU? Back to Top

Why doesn't the UK, Sweden and Denmark use the Euro?

The United Kingdom has a derogation to the original Maastricht Treaty, establishing the Euro. Unless approved by the Cabinet, Parliament and British electorate in a referendum, the UK can opt out of joining the Euro zone.

The same situation applies to Denmark, though a referendum put to the Danish electorate in December, 2000, showed a 53.2% majority oppose joining the Euro zone.

Unlike the UK and Denmark, Sweden has no such derogation to the Maastricht Treaty and therefore is expected at some point in the future to adopt the Euro.

There are several proposals for designs of the Euro for these countries. Denmark has already chosen the design of its Euro coins if and when a future referendum passes.

Why doesn't the UK Sweden and Denmark use the Euro? Back to Top

What is ERM?

ERM is an acronym which represents European Exchange Rate Mechanism. This system was introduced by the European Economic Community in March, 1979. Later ratified by the Treaty of Maastricht, it was designed to reduce the exchange rate variability between the currencies of participant members, in order to introduce a stable element as pt of the economic enforcement process of the European Monetary System (EMS) to establish Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). This single economic measure was referred to as the European Currency Unit (ECU), which became the Euro in January, 1999.

Participation in the ERM required a currency stability margin of 2.25% delta from bilateral rates measured in ECUs (Italy was allowed a 6% margin). The British Pound Sterling entered into the ERM in 1990, but was forced to withdraw two years later due to escalating inflation falling outside of the 2.25% margin.

The margin was increased to 15% in 1993 due, in part, to the failure of the British Pound and speculation that the French Franc would come to a similar fate.

Ahead of Euro adoption, ECU exchange rates were frozen in the original Euro zone countries. On 31 December 1998, the value of the Euro was established based on these rates and the ECU was replaced.

Establishing and adhering to the ERM or ERM II is the first step toward adoption of the Euro as a country's currency. It is a standard by which the current currency must measure itself in terms of inflation and exchange over a period of time. Each currency's value is taken into account when a rate of ERM is established. The currency must then remain at this rate for at least three years before Euro introduction can take place.

What is the ERM? Back to Top

What is ERM II?

ERM II is an extension and replacement for the original ERM agreements. The ERM II allows for new EU countries to establish similar economic policies in preparation for an eventual Euro adoption.

What is ERM II? Back to Top

Which side of the Euro coin is the reverse and which is the obverse?

The numismatic terms 'reverse' and 'obverse' are designations of the two sides of a coin. Other terms also apply to describe the two sides of a coin: 'heads, front' for obverse and 'tails, back' for reverse. For traditional coin-issuing western monetary systems, the term 'obverse' refers to the 'front' of the coin. This is applied to describe, for example, a monarch's portrait on British coins, or a president's portrait on American coins.

Since the adoption of the Euro by the initial 12 countries in 2002, these terms have not been applied with any sort of consistency to the sides of the Euro coins. The Euro is one of the most unique currency systems in the history of the world and one of the first to apply one monetary system and currency to several countries. This presents a problem for continued use of the traditional numismatic terms for the two coin sides.

With regard to Euro coins, there is a 'Common Side' or 'Common Face' and a 'National Side' or 'National Face'. The 'Common' side only has eight designs (not considering the 2007 re-design), one for each denomination of Euro coin. The 'National' side has a different design for each of the countries participating in the EMU. For example, the 1 Euro-cent coin has only one design on the 'Common Side' across the coin-issuing members of the EMU, however, there are twenty-three designs on the 'National Side' - one for each of the EMU members (including a handful of second and third series of regular circulation coins).

With precedent set forth by the European Central Bank and the European System of National Banks, these terms equate the 'Common Side' or 'Common Face' with the 'reverse' or 'back' and the 'National Side' or 'National Face' with the 'obverse' or 'front'.

Contradictions on official documents published by ECOFIN may stem from translating 'obverse' and 'reverse' from one EU language to another EU language.

In all matters, the following should be observed when applying terms to circulation Euro coins (the 1 Euro-cent coin from Germany is used as the graphic example):

Obverse Reverse
National Side Common Side
National Face Common Face
front back
Which side of the Euro coin is the reverse and which is the obverse? Back to Top

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased?

This website does not contain any information on purchasing Euro collector coins or any other information about purchasing coins. The European Central Bank has a page of links to other Central Banks in the Euro Zone for this kind of information.

Please see here: http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/collect/html/index.en.html.

Where can Euro collector coins be purchased? Back to Top

How many Euro coins are there?

After so many requests for a full accounting of the variant designs issued since production of the Euro began in 1999, what follows is an answer to those requests.

This proof takes into account mintmark variation and changes in overall national design as well as amendments. This accounting does not consider the change in common side, nor changes in date stamp.

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 1999 is 37. Belgium only produced 5 of the 8 denominations (1 Euro, 50, 10, 5 and 1 Euro cent) with a date stamp of 1999.

BEL: 5; FIN: 8; FRA: 8; NED: 8; SPA: 8 = 37

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2000 is 11. Belgium produced 3 of the 8 denominations (2 Euro, 20 and 2 Euro cent) with a date stamp of 2000. The signature of the master of the mint for the Netherlands changed in 2000.

BEL: 3; NED: 8 = 11

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2001 is 24. Monaco's Euro coins did not appear before this and the French and Dutch mint master marks changed.

FRA: 8; MON: 8; NED: 8 = 24

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2002 is 120. The remaining EMU member states with an Issue Date stipulation, including the 5 complete sets of 8 denominated standard circulation Euro coins produced by the 5 German mint locations. The Dutch mint master mark changed. Greek Euro coins were produced at four locations within the EMU; 1 complete set of 8 denominated standard circulation Euro coins produced in Greece, 2 and 1 Euro coins produced in Finland with the mintmark 'S'; 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Euro cent coins produced in Spain with the mintmark 'E'; 20 Euro cent coin produced in France with the mintmark 'F'.

AUS: 8; GER: 40; GRE: 16; IRL: 8; ITL: 8; LUX: 8; NED: 8; POR: 8; SAN: 8; VAT: 8 = 120

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2003 is 29. The French and Dutch mint master marks changed. Monaco and Luxembourg carry the French and Dutch marks, respectively for this issue year and changed along with them, however, Monaco only produced 5 of the 8 denominated Euro coins.

FRA: 8; LUX: 8; MON: 5; NED: 8 = 29

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2004 is 16. The French mint master mark changed. Monaco carries the French marks and changed along with it.

FRA: 8; MON: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2005 is 16. Luxembourg changed production facilities from the Netherlands to Finland. Vatican City issued a second standard series of Euro coins due to the passing of HH Pope John Paul II.

LUX: 8; VAT: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2006 is 16. Monaco issued a second standard series of Euro coins due to the passing of H.S.H., the Sovereign Prince Rainier III in April 2005. Vatican City issued a second series of Euro coins due to the election to the Papacy, HH Pope Benedict XVI.

MON: 8; VAT: 8 = 16

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2007 is 25. Finland amended their national design. Luxembourg changed production facilities from Finland to France and adopted the French marks into their design. Monaco issued a typical and a variant 1 Euro coin bearing no mint or mint master marks corresponding to the production location of France. Slovenia adopted the Euro as their currency and issued a complete set of standard issue circulation Euro coins.

FIN: 8; LUX: 8; MON: 1; SLE: 8 = 25

The number of Euro coin variations with a date stamp of 2008 is 40. Belgium issued a new series of standard issue Euro coins. Finland amended their national design. Slovenia changed production facilities from Finland to the Netherlands and adopted the Dutch marks into their design. Cyprus and Malta adopted the Euro as their currency and issued a complete set of standard issue circulation Euro coins.

BEL: 8; CYP: 8; FIN: 8; SLE: 8; MAL: 8 = 40

Therefore, the total number of variant Euro coins issued between 1999 and 2008 is as follows:

37+11+24+120+29+16+16+16+25+40 = 334

This number continues to be more than any other monetary body in the world. All 334 separate coins are legal tender anywhere in the Eurozone, in all 18 countries.

With regard to actual quantity, as of 30 September 2008, there are approximately 80,677,000,000 coins in circulation in the Eurozone.

How many Euro coins are there? Back to Top

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins?

The poster containing the designs for the euro coins has been taken offline due to theft and plagiarism. Please use The Euro Information Website Forum and follow the directions on obtaining this file.

Is there a poster which has all designs of the standard issue Euro coins? Back to Top

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change?

There are very strict regulations governing the design and changes thereto set forth by a combination of the European Council and the European Central Bank. For further discussion and additional information on this issue, please visit this topic in The Euro Information Website Forum.

The Commission of the European Communities Recommendation of 19 December 2008 on common guidelines for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation explains in 10 articles the new guidelines16 (only the relevant articles are included here):

Article 2. Identification of the issuing Member State:

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

Finland was the first Member State to come into compliance with an earlier recommendation similar to this article with an amendment to all denominations of euro coins intended for circulation.1

According to the Bank of Finland:

"The national sides of Euro coins will be amended so that each issuing Member State will add its name or abbreviation (FI for Finland) on the coins. On Finnish coins the first letter of the Mint of Finland’s President and CEO (M for Raimo Makkonen) will also be replaced with the Mint’s logo. Amendments to the national sides affect all denominations of Euro coins.

"Each Euro area Member State will decide on the schedule for the introduction of their new coins. In Finland the new coins will be put into circulation in January 2007. The current coins will remain valid, and coins in stock will be put into circulation as necessary. This way coins with the new designs will mix with the current coins in circulation."

Belgium was the second Member State to come into compliance with an earlier recommendation similar to this article with an update to all denominations of euro coins intended for circulation.2

Austria, Germany and Greece do not bear an indication of the issuing Member State by any means as outlined in Article 2.3 4 5

Article 3. Absence of the currency name and denomination:

Section 1. "The national side of the euro coins intended for circulation should not repeat any indication of the denomination, or any parts thereof, of the coin, neither should it repeat the name of the single currency or of its subdivision, unless such indication stems from the use of a different alphabet."

Greece and Cyprus are both permitted to repeat the denomination and the name of the single currency and its subdivisions, since both Member States use a different alphabet. Greece is the only Member State that practices this allowance.

All Austrian standard euro coin denominations intended for circulation repeat the denomination and name of the single currency/subdivision.3

Section 2. "The edge lettering of the 2-euro coin could bear an indication of the denomination, provided that only the figure '2' or the term 'euro' or both are used."

Article 4. Design of the national sides:

"The national side of the euro coins intended for circulation should bear the 12 European stars that should fully surround the national design, including the year mark and the indication of the issuing Member State's name. The European stars should be depicted as on the European flag."

Dutch €0.50, €0.20, €0.10, €0.05, €0.02 and €0.01 standard euro coin denominations intended for circulation place the indication of the Member's name and the year mark outside of the 12 European stars.6

Dutch €2.00 and €1.00 standard euro coin denominations intended for circulation do not depict the 12 European stars as they appear on the European flag.6

Luxembourgish €0.50, €0.20, €0.10, €0.05, €0.02 and €0.01 standard euro coin denominations intended for circulation do not depict the 12 European stars as they appear on the European flag.7

Article 5. Changes to the national sides of regular euro coins intended for circulation:

"Without prejudice to Article 6, the designs used for the national sides of the euro coins intended for circulation denominated in euro or in cent should not be modified, except in cases where the Head of State referred to on a coin changes. Issuing Member States should, however, be allowed to update the design of euro coins depicting the Head of State every fifteen years in order to take account of a change in the appearance of the Head of State. Issuing Member States should also be allowed to update their national sides of euro coins in order to fully comply with this Recommendation. A temporary vacancy or the provisional occupation of the function of Head of State should not give the right to change the national sides of the regular euro coins intended for circulation."

In 2005, upon the death of HH Pope John Paul II, Vatican City issued a second series of standard euro circulation coins which indicated a temporary vacancy of the Head of State and depicted the coat of arms of the Cardinal Camerlengo. This series is commonly referred to as the 'Sede Vacante' series. Upon the issuance of this second series, Vatican City became the first member within the euro area to issue a second series of standard euro circulation coins.8

There have been two cases where the death of a Head of State prompted the exercise of this exception.

Vatican City issued a third series of standard circulation Euro coins, depicting a new Head of State, in 2006. HH Pope Benedict XVI was elected Head of State 17 days after the death of his predecessor in April, 2005. In 2006, Vatican City issued a third series of standard circulation Euro coins, depicting the new Head of State. Vatican City became the first member within the euro area to issue a third series of standard euro circulation coins.9

Four days after the death of HH Pope John Paul II, in April of 2005, HSH Rainier III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco died. His son, Prince Albert II succeeded as Head of State of Monaco. In 2006, Monaco issued a second series of standard circulation Euro coins depicting the new Sovereign Prince of Monaco.10

In 2008, Belgium issued a second series of standard circulation euro coins. The design includes an updated depiction of the Head of State, King Albert II.2

Article 6. Issuance of commemorative euro coins intended for circulation:

Section 1. "Issues of commemorative euro coins intended for circulation showing a different national design from that of the regular euro coins intended for circulation should only commemorate subjects of major national or European relevance. Commemorative euro coins intended for circulation collectively issued by all participating Member States should only commemorate subjects of the highest European relevance and their issuance should be endorsed by the Council."

There have been two collectively issued commemorative circulation euro coins- Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary11 and 10 Years EMU12.

Section 2. "The issuance of commemorative euro coins intended for circulation should comply with the following rules:

Subsection (a). "the number of issues should be limited to one per issuing Member State per year, except in cases where:

paragraph (i). "commemorative euro coins intended for circulation are collectively issued by all participating Member States;

paragraph (ii). "a possible commemorative euro coin intended for circulation is issued at the occasion of a temporary vacancy or a provisional occupation of the function of Head of State.

Subsection (b). "the 2-euro coin should be the sole denomination used for such issues;

Subsection (c). "the total number of coins put into circulation for each individual issue should not exceed the higher of the following two ceilings:

paragraph (i). "0,1% of the total number of 2-euro coins brought into circulation by all participating Member States up to the beginning of the year preceding the year of issuance of the commemorative coin; this ceiling may be raised to 2,0% of the total circulation of 2-euro coins of all participating Member States if a global and highly symbolic subject is commemorated, in which case the issuing Member State should refrain from launching another commemorative circulation coin issue using the raised ceiling during the subsequent four years and should set out the reasons for choosing the raised ceiling when providing information as provided for in Article 7;

paragraph (ii). "5,0% of the total number of 2-euro coins brought into circulation by the issuing Member State concerned up to the beginning of the year preceding the year of issuance of the commemorative coin.

Subsection (d). "the edge lettering on commemorative euro coins intended for circulation should be the same as on regular euro coins intended for circulation."

Finland has issued three commemorative euro coins intended for circulation whose edge lettering was not the same as on regular euro coins intended for circulation.13

Article 7. Information procedure and publication of future changes:

"Member States should inform each other on the draft designs of new national sides of euro coins, including the edge letterings, and of the volume of issuance before they formally approve these designs. To this effect, new draft designs of euro coins should be forwarded by the issuing Member State to the Commission, as a rule, at least six months before the planned issue date. The Commission should verify compliance with the guidelines of this Recommendation and inform the other Member States without delay via the Economic and Financial Committee’s relevant subcommittee. If and when the Commission considers that the guidelines of the present Recommendation are not respected, the relevant subcommittee of the Economic and Financial Committee should decide whether to approve the design.

"The relevant subcommittee of the Economic and Financial Committee should approve the designs of commemorative euro coins intended for circulation collectively issued by all participating Member States.

"All relevant information on new national euro coin designs will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union."

Article 8. Scope of the recommended practices:

"This Recommendation should apply to national sides and edge letterings of both regular and commemorative euro coins intended for circulation. It should not apply to the national sides and edge letterings of both regular and commemorative euro coins intended for circulation which have been first issued or approved according to the agreed information procedure prior to the adoption of this Recommendation."

Austrian euro coin designs fall outside Article 2 and Article 3 of this recommendation. German and Greek euro coin designs fall outside Article 2 of this recommendation. Dutch and Luxembourgish euro coin designs fall outside Article 4 of this recommendation. All five of these national euro coin designs fall within Article 8 of this recommendation because they were all issued or approved according to the agreed information procedure prior to the adoption of this recommendation.

However, Article 5 of this recommendation allows for an update to these national euro coin designs in order to fully comply with this Recommendation, but does not require an update or re-design to these national euro coin designs.

Article 9. Repealing of previous recommendations:

"Recommendations 2003/734/EC and 2005/491/EC are hereby repealed."

The following stipulations previously cited in this FAQ have been superseded, in whole or in part, by this Recommendation:

"No changes should be made to the standard' national side of the Euro circulation coins until the end of 2008, except if the Head of State who is depicted on a coin changes..."

"...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."

Recommendation Review

In paragraph 16 of the Recommendation's preamble, a review of this Recommendation will be prepared by the end of 2015, "...in order to determine whether the guidelines need to be modified."

  1. "Designs of Euro coins will be amended in 2007" (27 December 2006) Press release number 33Bank of Finland.

    SEE:
    The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Finland 2007 Amended Issue
    The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Finland 2008 Amended Issue

  2. "Update of the national faces of Euro coins intended for circulation" (14 December 2007) Notices From European Union Institutions and Bodies-Commission (2007/C 302/08). Official Journal of the European Union.

    SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Belgium Series 2

  3. SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Austria

  4. SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Germany

  5. SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Greece

  6. SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Netherlands

  7. SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Luxembourg

  8. "New national sides of euro coins intended for circulation" (12 June 2005) Notices From European Union Institutions and Bodies-Commission (2005/C 308/08). Official Journal of the European Union.

    SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Vatican Series 2

  9. "New national faces of euro coins intended for circulation" (9 August 2006) Notices From European Union Institutions and Bodies-Commission (2006/C 186/02). Official Journal of the European Union.

    SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Vatican Series 3

  10. "New national faces of euro coins intended for circulation" (22 December 2006) Notices From European Union Institutions and Bodies-Commission (2006/C 316/09). Official Journal of the European Union.

    SEE: The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Monaco Series 2

  11. SEE: The Euro- €2 Commemorative Design- Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary

  12. SEE: The Euro- €2 Commemorative Design- 10 Years of EMU

  13. SEE: The Euro- €2 Edge Inscriptions

  14. "Commission Recommendation of 29 September 2003 on common practice for changes to the design of national obverse sides of euro circulation coins" (10 October 2003) 2003/734/EC (OJ 2003/C 247/5). Official Journal of the European Union.

  15. "Commission Recommendation of 3 June 2005 on common guidelines for the national sides of euro circulation coins" (3 June 2005) 2005/491/EC (OJ 2005/L 186/1). Official Journal of the European Union.

  16. "Commission Recommendation of 19 December 2008 on common guidelines for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation" (14 January 2009) 2009/23/EC (OJ 2009/L 9/1). Official Journal of the European Union.

Does the design of the Euro coins ever change? Back to Top

What is the appropriate name for the mintmarks on some coins?

Mint mark definitions
Term Definition
mint mark 'Mint mark' is the appropriate term for the identification of the mint which produces coins. Almost every mint uses these marks, only two do not: The Irish Currency Centre and Münze Österreich.
currency mark
mintmaster mark 'Signature mark of the Master of the Mint' or simply 'signature mark' is the appropriate term for the identification of either the chief engraver of a mint or the director of the mint, depending on how it is used. Only three mints use these marks: Belgium, France and Netherlands. Prior to 2007, Finland also used a signature mark.
privy mark
signature mark of the Master of the Mint
What is the appropriate name for the mintmarks on some coins? Back to Top

Which countries use mintmarks and mint master/privy marks?

Only two members of the EMU do not use mintmarks:

Eight members of the EMU use or have used mint master marks or privy marks:

SEE:

The Euro- Mintmarks

The Euro- Mintmaster Marks

Which countries use mintmarks and mint master/privy marks? Back to Top

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?

Generally, the European Central Bank has authority over the Euro, however, there is individual national legislation in place which governs the mintage of coins issued from each country. These 'coinage acts' regulate the coin production parameters for each country.

Mintage Date

The coinage acts of countries with a Mintage Date stipulation specifies that the year the coin is minted, regardless of when the coins are issued, should appear on each coin.

Belgium, Finland, France, The Netherlands and Spain have Mintage Date stipulations.

Issue Date

The coinage acts of countries with an Issue Date stipulation specifies that the year the coin is issued, regardless of when the coins are minted, should appear on each coin.

Austria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, San Marino, Portugal and Vatican City have Issue Date stipulations.

Conclusion

Since the Euro was first issued in 2002, the countries which have an Issue Date stipulation are all dated 2002 onward, even though these coins were minted in previous years to prepare for the adoption of the Euro. As a result, there are no Euro coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001 issued from countries with an Issue Date stipulation.

Luxembourg has no domestic mint, so their coins are minted elsewhere. Regardless of the mintage location of these coins, the Issue Date stipulation in their coinage act must be followed by whichever country mints their coins and the date stamp is therefore applied accordingly.

Since Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City do not have their own coinage acts, the date stamp is applied in accordance with the coinage act of whichever country mints these coins. France produces the Euro coins for Monaco and follows the Mintage Date stipulation and began minting Monégasque Euro coins in 2001, since the mintage quantities were so low. Sammarinese and Vatican Euro coins are minted in Italy and follows the Issue Date stipulation.

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001? Back to Top

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more than one standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibiting design changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with the passing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was the case for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope John Paul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with the recommendations of the EC in 2005 (See Future changes to the national side of circulation coins, Note 1). While the nature of the design change differed only slightly and appears only as a change in markings, the overall amended design served to comply with the recommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and a National Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mint were added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply with the 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face was redesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of King Albert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a Mintmaster Mark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert II was repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The Luxembourg Euro coins have had two changes in the 10 years since production of the Euro coins began in 1999. These changes were the result of changes in mint locations for the Luxembourg Euro coins; from 1999-2004, coins were minted in Utrecht, Netherlands; from 2005-2006, coins were minted in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland; from 2007-present, coins are minted in Paris, France.

The design of the Luxembourg coins calls for two mintmarks on either side of the dates on all the coins. When a Mintmaster Mark changes in any country where one is present (the Netherlands, France, now Belgium and formerly Finland are the only Euro coins that carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, a new series is not called for because this change is expected and immune to the protocols governing the design regulations for the Euro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with the EU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, the entire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Neither the Head of State of Luxembourg passed, nor the overall scope of the design changed to meet compliance. The only aspect of the design that has changed is the Mintmark, due to change in location of minting and the Mintmaster Mark, due to change in director of mint location.

As a change in Mintmaster Mark does not necessitate a new series, nor does the change in mint location and the resulting change in mintmarks necessitate a series.

Why doesn't Luxembourg have a second series? Back to Top

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series?

Finland, Belgium, Monaco and Vatican City have issued more than one standard series of Euro coins. The general rules prohibiting design changes to Euro coins are allowed to be suspended with the passing of the Heads of State depicted on Euro coins, as was the case for Vatican City and Monaco, with the passing of HH Pope John Paul II and HSH Prince Ranier III, respectively.

Finland amended the design for their Euro coins to comply with the recommendations of the EC in 2005 (See Future changes to the national side of circulation coins, Note 1). While the nature of the design change differed only slightly and appears only as a change in markings, the overall amended design served to comply with the recommendations. The Mintmaster Mark was removed and a National Identification ('FI') and a Mintmark for the Finnish mint were added to the design.

Belgium also produced a redesign of the Euro coins to comply with the 2005 EU recommendations, but the entire coin face was redesigned. The new design comprises of a new portrait of King Albert II, a Mintmark for the Royal Mint of Belgium, a Mintmaster Mark and a National Identification ('BE'); the monogram of Albert II was repositioned from the outer circle to the inner circle.

The initial supply of Slovenian Euro coins were produced in 2006 in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland and had one mintmark, a small 'Fi' located to the right of the 6 o'clock star. As of 2008, the Slovenian Euro coins are produced in Utrecht, Netherlands and bear the mintmark of the Royal Dutch Mint.

Slovenian coins minted in Finland in 2006 and 2007 do not have a Mintmaster Mark, since Finland does not use one. However, the Royal Dutch Mint uses a Mintmaster Mark. Therefore, Slovenian Euro coins dated 2008 bear this mark. When a Mintmaster Mark is added due to change in mint locations (the Netherlands, France, Belgium, now Slovenia and formerly Finland are the only Euro coins that carry Mintmaster Marks), due to change in mint directors, a new series is not called for because this change is expected and immune to the protocols governing the design regulations for the Euro coins. In the case of Finland and Belgium, the overall scope of the design was changed when the coins became compliant with the EU recommendations. In the case of Vatican City and Monaco, the entire coin face was changed due to the passing of the Head of State depicted on the coins.

Slovenian Euro coins do not depict a head of state on their coins, nor has the overall scope of the design changed to meet compliance. The only aspect of the design that has changed is the Mintmark, due to change in location of minting and an addition of a Mintmaster Mark, due to change in mint location.

As the change to Slovenia's Euro coin design is limited only to different mint markings, associated with the change in mint location, a new series is not necessitated.

Why doesn't Slovenia have a second series? Back to Top

What is the difference between a new series and an amended design?

A new series of Euro coins is a change in over all design. This means that the main design elements of the current design are replaced with a new design element that is different from the previous issue.

Since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, there have been four new series of Euro coins issued:

An amended design is a minor change in peripheral design elements. This means that a portion of the design other than the main design element of the coin has changed. This can include engraver marks, mint marks, mint master marks, edge inscriptions, national identification, etc.

Since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, there have been two amended designs issued:

Please see 'Does the design of the euro coins ever change?'

What is the difference between a new series and an amended design? Back to Top

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?

The European Central Bank imposes mintage quantity restrictions for each denomination of Euro coins issued by all countries. Aside from the coinage act stipulations discussed above, several countries have not produced certain coins for general circulation during certain years.

Several factors are considered when implementing these restrictions.

The standard issue 2 Euro coin mintage quantity is tempered by issuance of commemorative 2 Euro coins. The 2 Euro Treaty of Rome Commemorative coin had a profound effect on the mintage quantities of several Euro Zone members. France, Germany, Greece and Portugal did not even issue a standard 2 Euro coin for 2007, while several other countries were given a much lower mintage quantity for their standard 2 Euro coin.

In 2005, Austria issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin, but did not issue a 2 Euro standard coin.

Other denominations are only minted by some countries for special collector sets, in either BU or Proof quality.

Monaco has not issued any coins for circulation since 2003. Several denominations have not been issued at all; the 1, 2 and 5 cent Euro coins from 2003, the 10, 20 and 50 cent, 1 and 2 Euro coins from 2005 were not issued. In 2007, Monaco issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin with a mintage quantity of 20,001, which totals €40,002- thus expending their total mintage allocation for that year.

San Marino has issued circulation coins for all denominations sporadically and mostly issues Euro coins for collector sets.

Vatican City has only issued circulation coins for collector sets or collector coin cards.

Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years? Back to Top

Are there any commemorative coins?

Besides the commemorative 2 Euro coins intended for circulation, EMU members can mint other commemorative coins intended for collectors only. Certain stipulations apply to these types of coins:

Most of these commemoratives are gold and silver and go above the 2 Euro value.

In 2007, every EMU Member State issued a 2 Euro commemorative coin commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which gave rise to the European Union.

SEE: 2 € Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary Commemorative Design

Another common commemorative was issued in January 2009, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the Euro.

SEE: 2 € 10 Years of EMU Commemorative Design

Are there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

How many €2 Commemorative coins have been issued?

Not counting the common commemorative issues of 2007 (Treaty of Rome) and 2009 (10 Years of EMU), there have been  commemorative circulation coins issued.  Treaty of Rome commemorative circulation coins were issued in 2007,  10 Years of EMU commemorative circulation coins were issued in 2009. Of the 18 members of the EMU, only Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and The Netherlands have not independently issued a commemorative circulation coin.

Commemorative circulation coins issued to date by country
As of 21 May 2009
Country Count Subject of commemoration See:
Austria 1 €2 2005- Austria
Belgium 3 €2 2005- Belgium
€2 2006- Belgium
€2 2008- Belgium
Cyprus 0    
Finland 5 €2 2004- Finland
€2 2005- Finland
€2 2006- Finland
€2 2007- Finland
€2 2008- Finland
France 1 €2 2008- France
Germany 4 €2 2006- Germany
€2 2007- Germany
€2 2008- Germany
€2 2009- Germany
Greece 1 €2 2004- Greece
Ireland 0    
Italy 4 €2 2004- Italy
€2 2005- Italy
€2 2006- Italy
€2 2008- Italy
Luxembourg 6 €2 2004- Luxembourg
€2 2005- Luxembourg
€2 2006- Luxembourg
€2 2007- Luxembourg
€2 2008- Luxembourg
€2 2009- Luxembourg
Malta 0    
Monaco 1 €2 2007- Monaco
Netherlands 0    
Portugal 3 €2 2007- Portugal
€2 2008- Portugal
€2 2009- Portugal
San Marino 6 €2 2004- San Marino
€2 2005- San Marino
€2 2006- San Marino
€2 2007- San Marino
€2 2008- San Marino
€2 2009- San Marino
Slovakia 0    
Slovenia 1 €2 2008- Slovenia
Spain 1 €2 2005- Spain
Vatican City 5 €2 2004- Vatican
€2 2005- Vatican
€2 2006- Vatican
€2 2007- Vatican
€2 2008- Vatican
Commemorative circulation coins issued to date by year
As of 21 May 2009
Year Count See:
2004 €2 2004
2005 €2 2005
2006 €2 2006
2007 €2 2007
2008 €2 2008
2009 €2 2009
Total Independent Issues:  
2007
Treaty of Rome
€2 Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary
2009
10 Years of EMU
€2 10 Years of EMU
Total Common Issues:  
Grand Total Issues:  

SEE: €2 Commemorative Issues

SEE: €2 Commemorative Design- Treaty of Rome 50th Anniversary

SEE: €2 Commemorative Design- 10 Years of EMU

  1. These have not been officially released.

Are there any commemorative coins? Back to Top

What is the Bundesländer Series?

Germany started the commemorative coin series "Die 16 Bundesländer der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006. One coin representing a German state will be issued per year between 2006 and 2021 and will coincide with that state's presidency of the 'Bundesrat'.

Since most of these coins haven't been issued, final designs have not yet been determined for those after 2012.

Planned designs in the Bundesländer Series
Year State Design See:
2006 Schleswig-Holstein Holstein Gate, Lübeck €2 Commemorative Design 2006- Germany
2007 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Schwerin Castle, Schwerin €2 Commemorative Design 2007- Germany
2008 Hamburg St. Michaelis' Church, Hamburg €2 Commemorative Design 2008- Germany
2009 Saarland Ludwig Church in Saarbrücken €2 Commemorative Design 2009- Germany
2010 Bremen City Hall and Roland, Bremen €2 Commemorative Design 2010- Germany
2011 North Rhine-Westphalia Cologne Cathedral, Cologne €2 Commemorative Design 2011- Germany
2012 Bavaria Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau and Füssen €2 Commemorative Design 2012- Germany
2013 Baden-Württemberg Maulbronn Abbey, Maulbronn  
2014 Lower Saxony City Hall, Hanover  
2015 Hesse City Hall, Frankfurt am Main  
2016 Saxony Zwinger Palace, Dresden  
2017 Rhineland-Palatinate Porta Nigra Gate, Trier  
2018 Berlin Reichstag, Berlin  
2019 Saxony-Anhalt Cathedral of Magdeburg, Magdeburg  
2020 Thuringia Wartburg Castle, Eisenach  
2021 Brandenburg Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam  
What is the Bundesländer Series? Back to Top

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?

The ECB has described some of the more rudimentary security features of the Euro notes, allowing the general public to authenticate their currency at a glance. However, in the interest of security, the exhaustive list of these features is a closely-guarded secret.

Still, between the official descriptions and independent discoveries made by observant users, it is thought that the Euro notes include at least thirty different security features.

For further details on banknote security features, including examples, please see The Euro- Paper Euros: Security Features.

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes? Back to Top

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

The first letter of the serial number uniquely identifies the country that issues the note. The W, K and J codes have been reserved for the EU member states currently not participating in the Euro.

National identification codes
Code Country
in English in official language
Z Belgium België/Belgique/Belgien
Y Greece Ελλάδα [Ellada]
X Germany Deutschland
(W) (Denmark) Danmark
V Spain España
U France France
T Ireland Éire/Ireland
S Italy Italia
(R) (Luxembourg) Luxembourg/Luxemburg/Lëtzebuerg
(Q) Not Used
P Netherlands Nederland
(O) Not Used
N Austria Österreich
M Portugal Portugal
L Finland Suomi/Finland
(K) (Sweden) Sverige
(J) (United Kingdom) United Kingdom
(I) Not Used
H Slovenia Slovenija
G Cyprus Κύπρος/Kıbrıs
F Malta Malta
E Slovakia Slovensko

The positions of Denmark and Greece have been swapped in the list of letters starting the serial numbers because Y (upsilon) is a letter of the Greek alphabet, while W is not.

Ireland's first official language is Irish; however, in the above chart it is clear the order was based on the English 'Ireland' rather than the Irish 'Éire'. Irish was made an official EU language as of 1 January 2007, but the placement of Ireland's code is not affected by this fact.

In the case of Finland, which has two official languages that are also official EU languages (Finnish and Swedish), the order was based on the Finnish 'Suomi' instead of the Swedish 'Finland', presumably because Finnish is the majority language in the country.

Belgium has three official languages, all of which are official EU languages. Luxembourg also has three official languages, with two being official EU languages. However, in these cases, the countries' positions in the list would be the same no matter which language was used.

Un-circulated euro banknotes issued by the Banque centrale du Luxembourg (R) currently bear the code letter of the NCBs of those countries in which the banknotes for Luxembourg are produced.

As the number of EMU members grows larger and unique letters in the Latin alphabet are exhausted, non-similar letters of the Greek alphabet will be used. The first Greek letter would be delta (Δ); the Greek letter gamma (Γ) would not be used since it could be mistaken for a number.

For further details on production of Euro banknotes, please see The Euro- Banknotes- Production and The Euro- Banknote Codes- Printer Code.

Which country are the Euro Banknotes from? Back to Top

Which country produces the most banknotes?

As of 1 January 2009, the banknote allocation key was changed to allow for the new member of the EMU, Slovakia, a percentage of the total Banknote production.

Banknote Allocation Key
as of 1 January 2009
National Bank of Origin Banknote Allocation Previous (2008)
Banknote Allocation
Departure
European Central Bank 08.0000 % 08.0000 %  
Nationale Bank van België/Banque Nationale de Belgique 03.1975 % 03.2615 % -00.0640 %
Deutsche Bundesbank 24.9630 % 27.0880 % -02.1250 %
Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland 01.4640 % 01.1730 % -00.2910 %
Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος (Bank of Greece) 02.5900 % 02.3980 % +00.1920 %
Banco de España 10.9465 % 09.9660 % +00.9805 %
Banque de France 18.7465 % 18.9915 % -00.2450 %
Banca d’Italia 16.4730 % 16.5395 % -00.0665 %
Central Bank of Cyprus 00.1805 % 00.1650 % +00.0155 %
Banque centrale du Luxembourg 00.2305 % 00.2080 % +00.0225 %
Central Bank of Malta 00.0835 % 00.0825 % +00.0010 %
De Nederlandsche Bank 05.2575 % 05.1395 % +00.1180 %
Österreichische Nationalbank 02.5595 % 02.6610 % -00.1015 %
Banco de Portugal 02.3075 % 02.2620 % +00.0455 %
Banka Slovenije 00.4335 % 00.4215 % +00.0120 %
Národná banka Slovenska 00.9140%   +00.9140 %
Suomen Pankki 01.6530 % 01.6430 % +00.0100 %
TOTAL: 100.0000 % 100.0000 %  

For further details on banknote production, please see The Euro- Banknotes- Production.

Which country produces the most banknotes? Back to Top

Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes?

The Latin alphabet is used all over the European Union. Prior to the EU expansion of 2007, the only other alphabet used was the Greek alphabet, in, where else, Greece.

Therefore, to accommodate the native and adoptive speakers of Greek, the ECB authorized a second spelling of 'Euro', which appear on all Euro banknotes.

Since the EU expansion of 2007, it may become necessary for the ECB to revisit this issue and include a third spelling for those using the Cyrillic alphabet; Bulgaria is now a member of the EU and will adopt the Euro on 1 January 2010.

The three spellings in comparison are:

Comparison of spellings of 'Euro'
in three alphabets
Latin Greek Cyrillic
EURO CENT ΕΥΡΩ ΛΕΠΤΟ EBPO ЦЕНТ
Euro Cent Ευρώ Λεπτά Евро Цент
Euro cent ευρώ λεπτά евро цент
The suggestion has been made that in 30 years, countries such as Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya and Jordan may benefit from adopting the Euro. Should that occur, the Arabic, Coptic and Hebrew alphabets will come into consideration as well.
Why are there two spellings of Euro on banknotes? Back to Top

What kinds of codes are used on Euro banknotes?

Two codes are imprinted on the Euro banknotes.

The first, a serial number, is located on the back of each Euro banknote, in the upper right and lower left corners. Within this code are several algorithms which produce a checksum and check digit when certain formulas are applied to them for the purposes of verification. Because of the need for serial number verification, none of the serial numbers are consecutively numbered. The first part of the serial number is a letter, which identifies the issuing National Central Bank for that banknote. Within any one denomination, the whole of this code is not repeated.

The second, a printer code, commonly termed 'short code' is located in various areas of each denomination on the front. This code identifies several aspects of the production process, including the printer, plate number and exact location of the banknote's position on the printer plate.

When these two codes are combined, the result is a unique code that is not reproduced within any one denomination; no one banknote exactly resembles another.

For further details on banknote codes, please see The Euro- Banknote Codes- Printer Code and The Euro- Banknote Codes- Serial Numbers.

What kinds of codes are used on Euro banknotes? Back to Top

Citations:

What kind of security features are there for the Euro Banknotes?
Which country are the Euro Banknotes from?

Information from:
"Euro banknotes." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Feb 2007, 19:56 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 Feb 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euro_banknotes&oldid=107141988>.

Why do some countries have no coins dated 1999, 2000 and 2001?
Why are there no coins in circulation from specific countries during certain years?

Information from:
Rob Kooy (The Netherlands).

How does everyone in Europe spell Euro?

Additional information from:
"The name of the euro in European languages." Evertype. 1 Oct 2008, 19:00 UTC. Michael Everson. <http://www.evertype.com>