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) while the one and two euro coins showed the 15 states as one and the 10- to 50-cent coins showed 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. The coin dates from 2002, when euro coins and banknotes were introduced in the 12-member eurozone and its related territories. The coin has been used since 2002 and was not re-designed in 2007 as was the case with the higher-value coins. All euro coins have a common reverse and country-specific (national) obverse. The 5 euro cent coin (€0.05) has a value of one twentieth of a euro and is composed of copper-covered steel.
Globe with the EU-15 highlighted next to the denomination shown in Latin characters
