Waterloo coin scrapped due to French protest

Belgium will not get a new €2 coin in commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo, which took place 200 years ago, ending the reign of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Belgium has scrapped plans for the creation of the coin after France made its opposition clear.

In a letter to the European Council, France requested that Belgium not produce a coin that commemorates the humiliating French defeat at Waterloo, calling it “a negative symbol” and one that would “undermine the unity of the Eurozone”.

In Brussels on Thursday, spokesperson for the finance ministry, Francis Adyns, announced that Belgium would withdraw its plans for the controversial coin, despite already having produced and packed 175,000 of them. The coins will not be released into circulation.