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A common commemorative 2 euro coin issued by Ireland in 2009 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Economic and Monetary Union. The designer is Georgios Stamatopoulos (Greece), selected by an online vote of EU citizens. The Irish version will be minted in 3,820,000 copies. Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g.
Obverse
The centre features a stylised human figure combined with the euro symbol "€". The design is intended to convey the idea that the single currency and the EMU are the latest stage in the long history of European trade and economic integration. Surrounding: "ÉIRE" (Ireland), "AEA 1999-2009" (Aontas Económhústha Airgeadíochta - Economic Monetary Union in Irish), "EMU". 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. It depicts a map of Europe as a single continent without internal borders. On the left - a large denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right - a map. On the outer ring - 12 stars of the European Union. The edge - with fine ribbing and national inscription.
Historical context
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is the process of harmonizing the economic and monetary policies of the EU countries, which culminated in the introduction of the single currency, the euro. The third, decisive stage of EMU began on 1 January 1999, when the euro was introduced as a non-cash currency in 11 countries, and the exchange rates of national currencies were fixed to the euro. On the same day, the European Central Bank took over the monetary policy of the eurozone. Euro coins and banknotes were introduced on 1 January 2002. Ireland joined the eurozone from the very beginning - its Irish pound (punt Éireannach) was fixed at 0.787564 per euro and replaced by euro coins and banknotes on 1 January 2002. Ireland became the first English-speaking country in the eurozone. EMU is one of the greatest achievements of European integration, ensuring economic stability and facilitating trade between the 20 eurozone countries with a population of around 340 million.