Depicts a stylised human figure whose left arm is prolonged by the € symbol. It seeks to convey the idea of the single currency and, by extension, Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) being the latest step in Europe’s long history of trade and economic integration. The initials ΓΣ (Γεώργιος Σταματόπουλος, George Stamatopoulos) of the artist appear below the euro symbol. The name of the issuing country appears at the top (in Dutch, French and German), while the indication 1999-2009 and the acronym EMU (Economic and Monetary Union) appear at the bottom. The coin’s outer ring bears the 12 stars of the European Union.

The euro sign, €, is the currency sign used for the euro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by two lines instead of one.

Mintmark: Head of Archangel St. Michael, a patron saint of Brussels (Royal Belgian Mint)
Privy mark: Royal Belgian Mint director Romain Coenen (scale)

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

The sequence "2 ★★" repeated six times alternately upright and inverted