10 Years of EMU and here is the prize..

Wow 10 years eh. God it seems like only yesterday when I started secondary school and we started talking about the Economic and Monetary Union in Business studies class with our teacher. Back then, all of 1998, I don't know if I really appreciated how important this little acronym would come to be. Some 2000 years of a European idea of having a common currency in order to reinforce either imperial ideals of the Roman Empire or the lustings of a Middle-European country dominated Holy Roman Empire. Finally realised with the downfall of the former-Soviet Union and the integration of Western & Middle Europe more wholly, economically & socially. I certainly do remember the changeover from 1999 onwards of dual-currency bank statements, then dual pricing in the stores and learning the changeover rate (IR£1= €0.787564), before the eventual realization of actually using the new currency in my local stores, with a certain sense of nostalgia as I handed over my Irish pound notes & coins and received my Euro change-rampant nationalism dies hard in the face of the European dream.

Anyway what has brought on this sudden realization of 10 years of EMU I hear you ask!?!, Well it would appear that our lovely administrative staff within the European Central Bank, have decided to mark this 10 year anniversary by allowing us, the gracious citizens of the European Union to decide on what the new logo for the €2 coin should be. So here are the designs....



However is it just me or do they all look like something which would appear in a Museum of Modern Art. They are all very interpretative pieces but I would love if the ECB would elaborate on what each design is meant to signify, at least then it wouldn't be a case of a simple "which one do you like citizen?", but rather an informed decision. Trivial perhaps but not a big ask. A currency is something which represents its citizens and should embody the ideals of that citizenry. In Ireland, it used to be Lady Lavery within our notes and the Harp on our coins. In France, the use of the slogan of the French Republic, "Liberty, Equality & Fraternity" was on their coins. But then again the interpretative nature of these designs is perhaps what some within the European Union would sieze upon as somewhat ironic. ie a Europe that is exactly what you want it to be as long as you toe the line. For those of you who wish to vote for the new design its availble here. Only open to European citizens and residents I am afraid, so all those non-European citizens/residents peeps apologies but I think you will forgive us if we try and sort out what exactly we stand for and what we want our coins to embody.