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A joint 2-euro commemorative coin issued by Austria in July 2015 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the European flag. All 19 eurozone countries issued a coin with the same obverse design. The design was chosen by an online vote of EU citizens from five finalists, with the project receiving 30% of the vote. The designer is Georgios Stamatopoulos of the Bank of Greece.
Obverse
The centre features the flag of the European Union, symbolising the unity of peoples and cultures with a shared vision and ideals for a better future together. The twelve stars on the flag transform into human figures embracing the birth of a new Europe. In the upper right-hand part, in a semicircle, are the name of the issuing country "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" and the dates "1985–2015". In the lower right-hand part, the initials of the author "ΓΣ". On the outer ring - 12 EU stars.
Reverse
The reverse is the common side of the 2 euro coins of the second type, designed by Luc Luix. A map of Europe without internal borders, on the left - the denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right - a map of the continent. On the outer ring - 12 EU stars. On the band - a fine groove with the inscription "2 EURO ***", repeated four times alternately in the forward and inverted position.
Historical context
The flag of Europe - a circle of twelve golden five-pointed stars on a blue background - was adopted by the Council of Europe as its official symbol back in 1955. The European Communities (the forerunner of the EU) adopted it as their flag on 29 June 1985 at the European Council meeting in Milan, following a proposal by the Adonnino Committee. The number of stars, 12, is not related to the number of member states, but symbolises perfection, completeness and unity. The flag is now the official symbol of the European Union and is used by all its institutions, flying above the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council.