Editing Euro coins (section)

==Commemorative issues==
{{main|2 euro commemorative coins}}
Each state may also mint two [[2&nbsp;euro commemorative coins]] each year from June 2012. From 2004 to May 2012, countries were only allowed to mint one coin per year. Only €2&nbsp;coins may be used in this way (for them to be legal tender) and there is a limit on the number that can be issued. The coin must adhere to the normal design criteria, such as the [[Flag of Europe|twelve stars]], the year and the issuing country.

[[Greece]] was the first country to issue a commemorative coin, and was followed by other countries. In 2007, every [[eurozone]] state participated in the [[Treaty of Rome]] programme, in which all member states issued a coin of similar design to commemorate the signing of the Treaty, only differing in the name of the issuing country and language of the text. This was also the case in 2009, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union|Economic and Monetary Union]]. The design was selected by electronic voting by EU citizens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurodesigncontest.eu/index.cfm|date=17 December 2008|title=Commemorating 10 years of Economic and Monetary Union!|website=EuroDesignContest|archive-url=https://archive.today/20081217065642/http://www.eurodesigncontest.eu/index.cfm|archive-date=17 December 2008|access-date=28 February 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, a common commemorative coin was issued to commemorate the tenth anniversary of euro coins and [[euro banknotes|banknotes]]. In 2015, a common commemorative coin was issued to commemorate 30&nbsp;years of the [[European Union flag]]. Finally, in 2022 a common commemorative coin was issued to commemorate 35&nbsp;years of the [[Erasmus Programme]].

In 2006, [[Germany]] began issuing a series of coins, the [[2 euro commemorative coins#German series|German Bundesländer series]], showing each of the [[states of Germany]] on its coins; It was originally intended to run until 2021, but one extra issue was added in 2019, which pushed back the last three planned issues (2019, 2020, 2021) by one year. The series ended in 2022. In 2023 a new series (Bundesländer series&nbsp;II) began until 2038.

[[Spain]] started a commemorative coin series ''{{lang|es|Patrimonio de la Humanidad de la UNESCO}}'' (UNESCO World Heritage) in 2010, commemorating [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain|all of Spain's UNESCO World Heritage Sites]], which is currently planned until 2058.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020|url=https://www.zwei-euro.com/spanien/serie-unesco-weltkulturerbestaetten/|title=UNESCO World Heritage Sites Series|access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref> The order in which the coin for a specific site is issued coincides with the order in which they were declared a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage site]].<ref>{{cite web | date=2010-01-19 | url=http://www.zwei-euro.com/news/artikel/a/2010/01/19/article/weitere-ausgaben-der-2-euro-gedenkmuenzenserie-unesco-weltkulturerbestaetten.html | title=''Spanien: Weitere Ausgaben der 2-Euro-Gedenkmünzenserie "UNESCO-Weltkulturerbestätten"'' | access-date=2010-01-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718161301/http://www.zwei-euro.com/news/artikel/a/2010/01/19/article/weitere-ausgaben-der-2-euro-gedenkmuenzenserie-unesco-weltkulturerbestaetten.html | archive-date=2011-07-18 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2021, [[France]] started a commemorative coin series about [[2024 Summer Olympics]]. It finished in 2024.

[[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Luxembourg]], and [[Malta]] have also issued a series of&nbsp;2 euro commemorative coins.

===Gold and silver commemorative issues===
{{main|Euro gold and silver commemorative coins}}
A legacy of old national practice is the minting of silver and gold commemorative coins. Unlike normal issues, these coins are not [[legal tender]] throughout the [[eurozone]], but only in the country where they are issued (e.g. a&nbsp;€10 [[Finland|Finnish]] commemorative coin cannot be used in [[Portugal]]).

However, these gold coins are intended for collectors as their bullion value vastly exceeds their [[face value]]. Some silver coins, such as the [[Germany|German]] €10&nbsp;commemoratives, are often available at banks and some retailers at face value. These coins, however, generally do not circulate but are kept by collectors.

It is uncertain whether the [[Council of the European Union|EU Council of Ministers]] will grant such coins legal tender status outside national boundaries, as [[Monaco]], [[San Marino]], and the [[Vatican City]] also issue this kind of coin.

===Belgian 2.50 euro coin===
In 2015, Belgium issued a 2.50&nbsp;euro commemorative coin which is legal tender inside the country. 70,000&nbsp;coins were minted, commemorating the 200th&nbsp;anniversary of [[Napoleon]]'s defeat in the [[Battle of Waterloo]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bilefsky |first=Dan |date=9 June 2015 |title=Belgium Commemorates Waterloo With a Coin, and France Is Not Pleased |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/world/europe/belgium-commemorates-waterloo-with-euro-and-france-is-not-pleased.html}}</ref>

Belgium originally planned to mint 2&nbsp;euro commemorative coins for the occasion. This plan was blocked by [[France]], however (after 180,000 of the coins had already been minted; they had to be discarded). Minting the 2.50&nbsp;euro denomination obviated France's complaints as the coins are not legal tender in the [[European Union]], only in Belgium.<ref>Jason Karaian. [http://qz.com/423450/frances-whining-wont-stop-belgium-from-minting-coins-commemorating-the-battle-of-waterloo/ "France’s whining won’t stop Belgium from minting coins commemorating the Battle of Waterloo".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104210309/http://qz.com/423450/frances-whining-wont-stop-belgium-from-minting-coins-commemorating-the-battle-of-waterloo/|date=2016-01-04}} ''[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]]'', 9 June 2015.</ref>

EU law states that any country can issue any new coins it wants as long as they are in an irregular denomination, so it invented a €2.50&nbsp;coin.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/shortcuts/2015/jun/10/euro-coin-row-france-wins-the-battle-belgium-wins-the-war Euro coin row: France wins the battle, Belgium wins the war] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902084137/https://www.theguardian.com/business/shortcuts/2015/jun/10/euro-coin-row-france-wins-the-battle-belgium-wins-the-war|date=2018-09-02}} The Guardian June 10, 2015.</ref>