History
The Netherlands is one of the founding countries of the European Economic Community, having been a member since January 1, 1958. They did not come empty-handed: along with Belgium and Luxembourg, they had decided in exile in London as early as 1944 to form the Benelux customs union, which entered into force in 1948.
The coin follows the Dutch procedure: a Royal Decree of February 1, 2007, proposed by the Minister of Finance, sets its national side. It came into effect on March 1, 2007, during the reign of Queen Beatrix.
It is struck by the Royal Dutch Mint, then in Utrecht. This is the first 2-Euro commemorative coin from the Netherlands; the next one, in 2009, marked the tenth anniversary of the Economic and Monetary Union.
