2 euro FRANCE (2007) 50th Anniversary of Roman Treaties

in the coin centre an opened book of the Treaties of Rome; above: EUROPE; in the background paving of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome; below year of issue 2007; along the top edge in two lines: TRAITÉ DE ROME / 50 ANS (Treaty of Rome 50 years); along the bottom edge: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (French Republic); at the edge a ring of twelve five-pointed stars - symbol of the European Union

left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)

reeded with concave inscription:

25 III 2007

in circulation

common proposal of European mints, Luc Luycx (initials LL below letter 'O' in EURO on the reverse)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), Pessac (mint mark before year of issue in the obverse, after year of issue privy mark of mint's director Hubert Larivière - horn)

2007

9 406 875

Privy marks of the general engravers of the Mint of Paris, which can be found on French coins produced after 1944:

Lucien Bazor	1931-1958		wing
Raymond Joly	1958-1974		owl
Emile Rousseau	1974-1994		dolphin
Pierre Rodier	1994-2000		bee
Gérard Buquoy	2001-2002		horseshoe
Serge Levet	2003		heart
Hubert Larivière	2004-2010		horn
Yves Sampo	from 2011		rosette

The design of the obverse of the coin commemorating 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome was selected in a result of the designing competition for European mints. The contest was settled by a three-person committee consisting of: Joaquín Almunia (Spanish, contemporary European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs), Pervenche Berès (French, contemporary European Parliament member) and Jean-Claude Juncker (Luxembourgish, contemporary President of the Eurogroup). It seems that none of the proposals impressed the committee, because eventually the official sources say that the coin obverse is the result of common work of all European mints.

The obverse shows the treaties signed by six founding members of the European Economic Community placed on a background of paving of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, where on March 25, 1957 the treaties were signed. Above this motive an inscription "50 years of the Roman Treaties" and "Europe" as well as the name of the country were written in national languages of the issuing countries (or in Latin). Thus the inscriptions on the obverse differ from country to country, but the central motif stays the same.

The image of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome is used on another European coin - Italian 50 euro cent.

The book of the Treaties of Rome, a view of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome and the Italian 50 euro cent obverse.