A coin commemorating the Battle of Waterloo will not be minted because France complained to the EU that the “negative” symbol would undermine the unity of the union.
The design for the €2 coin was drawn up by Belgium, where the battle took place in 1815, and handed to the Council of the European Union in February to mark its 200th anniversary.
In a letter seen by The Daily Telegraph, the French government wrote: “The circulation of coins carrying a symbol that is negative for a fraction of the European population to us appears prejudicial, in a context where the governments of the Eurozone are trying to strengthen unity and co-operation throughout the monetary union.” It said that producing it would “risk engendering hostile reactions in France . . . The Battle of Waterloo is an event with particular resonance in the collective conscience, going beyond a simple military conflict.”
An EU source said later that the French had written “unfavourable” rather than “hostile”. Belgium has withdrawn the proposal so as not to offend the French, an EU source said.
On June 18, 1815, the Duke of Wellington led his forces, allied with other European nations, to victory over the French army. The battle ended Napoleon’s rule as emperor and he was exiled to the island of Saint Helena for the remaining six years of his life.
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The Council of the European Union said: “Any member state whose currency is the euro has the right to raise an objection to the draft design submitted by Belgium if the draft design is likely to create adverse reactions among its citizens.”
Dan Snow, the historian, said he could understand the French reasons for not wanting the coin but there were “strong reasons” to stick with it, as the battle represented “extraordinary European co-operation”.
“Wellington’s army included the Germans, the Dutch and the Belgians and he was saved by the Prussians,” he said. “Without all of them it would have been a very different situation. It’s an example of almost unparalleled unity in Europe against Napoleon who was clearly a dangerous person to all their shared interests.” Mr Snow said he wondered how the British would react to a symbol of their defeat, such as the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, but hoped “we would be big enough to accept it within the larger picture of unity”.
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