On March 25, 1957 the Treaty of Rome was signed. Fifty years later, on March 26, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen will strike the first 2 euro commemorative coin celebrating this anniversary.

‘Treaty of Rome 50 years’, ‘EUROPE’ and the name of the issuing country appear in the respective languages of the euro area or in Latin. Thus, the legend differs from country to country, but the image is the same. Thirteen EU countries will issue the special 2 euro coin.

The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community and ultimately led to the introduction of the euro in 1999 and euro banknotes and coins in 2002. The anniversary will be celebrated on 25 March 2007. The euro area countries have decided to mark the occasion by jointly issuing this commemorative coin. Its design was selected following a competition organised by the European mints.