EU offers prize of gold for choosing two-euro coin design

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EU citizens were invited Friday to vote for the design of a special two-euro coin to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the common European currency, with a golden prize to lure entries.
Five designs have been pre-selected for the competition with a set of gold coins worth "several thousand euros (dollars)," to be awarded to the lucky winner who will be picked at random from those who choose the most popular design, a European Commission spokeswoman said.
Residents and citizens of all 27 EU member states are eligible to vote, regardless of whether their country uses the euro, she said.
The chosen coin will be launched throughout the 15-nation eurozone next January to mark the official birth of the euro on January 1, 1999, although euro coins and notes were only issued in 2002.
The designs range from a cave drawing-style depiction of a stick man holding the euro's "e" logo, representing "the long history of trade, from pre-historic barter" to a series of curved lines "reminiscent of the European Parliament's semi-circular debating chamber," according to the commission website, eurodesigncontest.eu, where one can vote.
European Commission spokeswoman on economic and monetary affairs Amelia Torres said the commemorative coin would be only the second to be issued throughout the whole eurozone.
The first was another two-euro piece, the largest denomination coin, issued last year to mark 50 years since the signing of the EU's founding Treaty of Rome.
All other euro coins are issued by individual member states.
The voting on the design will close on February 22.
The eurozone, which began with 11 nations, now covers 15 member states with a total population of 317 million, more than than the United States.
Cyprus and Malta became the latest members of the euro family last month.
The other eurozone nations are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.


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