Limited-edition €2 coin to commemorate Spain's Council of Europe presidency

A NEW and limited-edition €2 coin will be in circulation in Spain until the end of this year to mark the country's Council of Europe presidency 'shift', the Royal mint has revealed.

Prime ministers or presidents, as applicable, of each European Union member State take turns at chairing the Council of Europe, which is the committee leading the decisions and policy of the EU and whose members are the 27 national leaders voted in by the general public in their country.

Normally, each country takes a presidential turn for six months, to ensure fair representation and every nation having a say in how the EU operates.

Spain has now taken over this rôle for the fifth time, starting on July 1 (Saturday), until December 31, 2023 inclusive.

It is not clear how the forthcoming snap general election in Spain on July 23 will affect the country's Council of Europe presidency, but current national leader Pedro Sánchez has assured disruptions will be kept to a minimum.

To celebrate Spain's European leadership, a €2 coin has been minted by the National Coin and Stamp Factory-Royal Coin House (FNMT-RCM).

Released on June 1, a total of 1.5 million coins will be produced before the end of 2023, bearing the Spanish Council of Europe presidency logo as its main image, in place of the usual design.

Around this logo, the words España 2023 – Presidencia Española ('Spain 2023 – Spanish Presidency') are printed along the upper part of the coin, and Consejo de la Unión Europea ('Council of Europe') on the bottom part.

On the same face of the coin, the logo of the Royal mint – a crowned capital 'M' – can be seen near the 'Council of Europe' wording, and the entire 'heads' side will be bordered with the stars of the European Union flag.

Euro coins bear the same design on the 'tails' face – which shows the denomination, or face value – but the 'heads' side is different for every country which uses the common currency.

These individual designs are decided by each State and approved by its national bank.

In Spain's case, the design, agreed by the Bank of Spain, is a portrait of celebrated novelist Miguel de Cervantes, who died in the early 17^th century on the same date as British poet and playwright William Shakespeare.

Among numerous other short stories and one-act plays, Cervantes is famous worldwide for his epic tome Don Quijote de la Mancha, which remains the best-selling novel in the Spanish language of all time.