The design of the 1 to 5 cent coins was intended to show the European Union's (EU) place in the world (relative to Africa and Asia) as opposed to the one and two euro coins showing the 15 states as one and the 10- to 50-cent coins showing separate EU states. The common side was designed by Luc Luycx, a Belgian artist who won a Europe-wide competition to design the new coins. Despite this, a few coins were issued beginning in 1999. The coin dates from 2002, when euro coins and banknotes were introduced in the twelve-member eurozone and its related territories. The coin has been used since 2002 and was not redesigned in 2007 as were the higher-value coins. All euro coins have a common reverse and country-specific (national) obverse. The 2 euro cent coin (€0.02) has a value of one-fiftieth of a euro and is composed of copper-plated steel.
Globe with the EU-15 highlighted next to the denomination shown in Latin characters
