Maltese euro coins
Maltese euro coins feature three separate designs for the three series of coins. Malta plans to adopt the Euro as its official currency on 1 January 2008. Malta has been a member of the European Union since May 2004, and is a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union but has not completed the third stage of the EMU and therefore still uses its own currency, the Maltese lira.
Consultation process
The selection of the designs of the coins was decided by public consultation in two rounds. The first round of the consultation process started on January 14, 2006 and ended on January 29, 2006. During this period the Maltese public could participate in the process by choosing the preferred theme to appear on the national side of the euro coins. 12 options were presented, divided into four themes, each theme capturing a specific aspect of Malta's national heritage. The four themes included images of prehistoric Malta, images of renaissance Malta, images of the Maltese archipelago, and images of the Maltese identity. Three different options were being presented for each theme.
The winning three design of the first round were the Baptism of Jesus, the Maltese coat of arms and the Mnajdra temples.
During the second phase, running from 29 May until 9 June 2006, the public was asked to choose the actual designs for the euro coins from the three motifs chosen in January and the Maltese cross; in the end, the Maltese Cross got the most votes, followed by the Coat of arms of Malta and the Mnajdra Temples.[1][2]
The Central Bank of Malta released the final designs of the euro coins on 19 February 2007.
For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see Euro coins.
€ 0.01 | € 0.02 | € 0.05 |
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Mnajdra temples | ||
€ 0.10 | € 0.20 | € 0.50 |
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Coat of arms of Malta | ||
€ 1.00 | € 2.00 | |
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The Maltese Cross |
On 16 May 2007, the Commissioner for Economic & Financial Affairs of the EU, Joaquín Almunia, recommended that Malta adopt the euro as scheduled.
References
- ^ maltamedia.com
- ^ mfin.gov.mt (Maltese)
External links
- Website of the Maltese ministry of Finance on euro change-over
- The Euro- National Euro Coin Design- Malta